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Explainer: How the U.S. plans to commit $55 billion to Africa over three years

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2022-12-13T16:40:16Z

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meet with Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit 2022 in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool

The United States plans to commit $55 billion to Africa over the next three years, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday.

The money will go to “a wide range of sectors to tackle the core challenges of our time,” and is being distributed in close partnership with Congress, Sullivan said.

Much of the funds appear to come from previously announced programs and budgets.

Here is what the White House has said so far about where the $55 billion will go:

The Biden-Harris administration has invested and committed to provide nearly $20 billion in health programs in the Africa region, the White House said on Tuesday.

That includes $11.5 billion to address HIV/AIDS; more than $2 billion to combat malaria; more than $2 billion in support of family planning and reproductive health as well as maternal and child health; and more than $2 billion to address the health, humanitarian, and economic impacts of COVID-19.

The administration also plans to ask Congress for $4 billion for healthcare workers in Africa, investing $1.33 billion annually from 2022 to 2024.

Since January 2021, the administration has invested and plans to provide at least $1.1 billion to support African-led efforts to support conservation, climate adaptation, and energy transitions.

These funds include U.S. International Development Finance Corporation investments into Malawi’s Golomoti JCM Solar Corporation, and a Climate Action Infrastructure Facility.