Millions of Women In Africa Face Health Crisis As U.S. Destroys Contraceptives Destined For Five Countries
Millions of women across Africa are facing a reproductive health crisis if the Trump administration goes ahead with its plan dispose of USD 9.7 million worth of contraceptives and effectively dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This shift in U.S. foreign policy is projected to result in millions of unintended pregnancies and thousands of preventable deaths, reversing decades of progress in global health.
The destruction of the contraceptives, primarily long-acting methods like IUDs and implants, was confirmed by the State Department, citing U.S. laws prohibiting aid to organisations involved in abortion services. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) projects this action alone will deny access to contraception for over 1.4 million women and girls, and lead to potentially 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions across five African countries,
The IPPF and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) say the decision to incinerate the contraceptives, including IUDs, implants, and oral contraceptives, will affect at least five African countries for which they were destined: Tanzania, Mali, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This comes against the background of Africa’s significantly underdeveloped pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity compared to other major global regions. The continent currently hosts approximately 375 drug manufacturers, with the majority concentrated in North Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa, these facilities are clustered in only nine of 46 countries. This contrasts sharply with India, which boasts 10,000 drug manufacturers, and China, with around 5,000, both serving populations of comparable size.
Beyond the contraceptive disposal, the broader curtailment of USAID’s operations has crippled foreign assistance worldwide. A 90-day freeze on foreign aid, coupled with the termination of thousands of programmes and the administrative leave of USAID personnel, has left a massive void. If USAID provides no contraceptive care in 2025, Africa could face approximately 4.2 million unintended pregnancies and over 8,000 deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth complications.
Several African nations are already feeling the acute impact. In Tanzania, the destruction of over 1 million injectable contraceptives and 365,100 implants represents 28 per cent of the country’s annual need. Mali will be denied 1.2 million oral contraceptives and 95,800 implants, nearly a quarter of its annual need. Kenya faces a 46 per cent funding gap in its family planning programme with stockpiles of long-term contraceptives already depleted, denying 108,000 women access to implants and threatening an increase in maternal mortality from unsafe abortions.
Nigeria is grappling with a USD 27.4 million contraceptive commodity funding gap. Countries like Ethiopia and Uganda, previously impacted by the Global Gag Rule (a policy that prohibits U.S. foreign assistance to organisations that provide or promote abortion services), are expected to see further reversals in contraceptive access.
These actions intensify the effects of the Global Gag Rule. Research consistently shows this policy, despite its stated aim, increases unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions by restricting access to comprehensive family planning information and services. International reproductive rights groups have condemned the administration’s decision as “cruel and ideologically driven,” noting that offers to redistribute the contraceptives at no cost were rejected.
