Africa: Development Aid
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425), what assessment she has made of the reduction in ODA allocated to Africa from £818 million in 2026-27 to £677 million in 2028-29.
Answered by Chris Elmore
In order to fund an essential increase in defence spending, this Government has taken the difficult decision to reduce the UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income by 2027.
While the share of our bilateral ODA going to Africa will be smaller as a result, we are placing greater priority on our multilateral contributions, around half of which have historically supported African countries.
In particular, we are increasing our contribution to the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA), which delivers around two-thirds of its work in Africa. We are also maintaining our strong support for the African Development Fund, which is a major source of investment across the region.
The UK remains a committed partner to developing African countries in line with our new Africa Approach, published on 9 January, moving from donor to investor, and helping countries unlock growth and private finance.
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