World Food Programme to Shut Southern Africa Office Following US Aid Cuts

• Mar 5, 2025

UN Food Agency Faces Budget Shortfall After US Reduces Funding

The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) has announced the closure of its southern Africa office due to significant cuts in US aid funding.

In a statement, the WFP confirmed that its office in Johannesburg would close, with operations in southern and east Africa being consolidated into a single regional office based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The decision comes as part of a long-term restructuring plan initiated in 2023, but the agency stated that funding challenges had forced it to expedite these efforts. "As donor funding becomes more constrained, we have been compelled to accelerate these efforts," a spokesperson explained.

Despite the closure, the WFP assured that its food assistance programs would continue. "Our commitment to serving vulnerable communities remains unwavering. We are focused on ensuring our operations are as effective and efficient as possible in addressing hunger," the spokesperson added.

The extent of the funding shortfall was not specified, but in the previous year, the WFP received $4.4 billion in assistance from the US—accounting for half of its total budget. The US, under the Trump administration, recently announced the termination of 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts, eliminating $60 billion in funding for humanitarian projects worldwide. Germany, the second-largest donor to the WFP, contributed only a fraction of what the US had provided.

Southern Africa has been struggling with its worst drought in decades, which devastated crops and left 27 million people at risk of hunger. Even before the US aid cuts, the WFP had appealed for $147 million in additional donations to assist those in need.

The WFP, which provides food assistance to more than 150 million people in 120 countries, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. Since 1992, all six of its executive directors have been American, including its current leader, Cindy McCain, widow of former US Senator John McCain.

While many UN agencies have yet to fully assess the impact of the US funding cuts, some have already been affected. The UN’s International Organization for Migration has reportedly eliminated 3,000 jobs related to US resettlement programs, and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has projected disruptions to several of its initiatives. However, some programs may still receive US funding through exemptions, though details remain uncertain.