Nigerian women and girls hit hardest by British and US aid cuts, committee hears

A parliamentary committee in London has been told that reductions in development funding from the UK and the United States are disproportionately affecting women and girls in Nigeria, undermining years of progress in education, health and economic empowerment.

**Lead**

A parliamentary committee in the United Kingdom has heard stark evidence that recent cuts to British and American development assistance are having a disproportionately severe impact on women and girls in Nigeria. Witnesses told the cross-party panel that the withdrawal of funding for programmes focused on maternal health, girls’ education, and gender‑based violence prevention is reversing hard‑won gains in one of Africa’s most populous nations. The session, held at Westminster, examined the consequences of the UK government’s decision to reduce the overseas aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income, alongside significant reductions in United States foreign assistance under the current administration.

**Context**

Nigeria has long been a major recipient of bilateral aid from both the UK and the US. British support, channelled through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and previously the Department for International Development, has funded initiatives such as the Girls’ Education Programme in northern states, where cultural and economic barriers keep millions of girls out of school. American assistance, via USAID and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has provided critical resources for reproductive health services, nutrition programmes, and support for survivors of domestic violence. According to evidence presented to the committee, these programmes have been among the first to face cuts or complete closure as budgets are tightened.

The committee heard that the impact is not merely statistical but deeply personal. In rural communities in states such as Borno, Yobe, and Kaduna, the closure of safe‑spaces for women and girls has left many without access to counselling, legal aid, or basic healthcare. One witness described how a drop‑in centre for survivors of gender‑based violence in Maiduguri had to shut its doors after its UK‑funded grant was terminated, forcing dozens of women back into precarious situations. The loss of school feeding programmes, often supported by American food aid, has also led to a noticeable increase in dropout rates among adolescent girls, who are often the first to be withdrawn from education when household resources dwindle.

**Analise**

The timing of these cuts is particularly damaging. Nigeria is grappling with a worsening security crisis in the north‑east, where Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province continue to target women and girls through abductions, forced marriages, and sexual violence. Humanitarian organisations have warned that the reduction in funding comes at a moment when the need for protection services is at its highest. The committee was told that without sustained international support, local civil‑society groups—already operating on shoestring budgets—cannot fill the gap. Many have had to lay off staff and scale back outreach, leaving vulnerable women without a safety net.

Beyond the immediate humanitarian toll, the cuts risk undermining long‑term development goals. Investment in girls’ education is widely recognised as one of the most effective ways to break cycles of poverty, reduce child marriage, and improve maternal health. The UK government’s own 2021 International Development Strategy emphasised the importance of empowering women and girls. Yet the evidence presented to the committee suggests that the funding reductions are directly contradicting that stated priority. Several members of parliament expressed concern that the UK is retreating from its leadership role on gender equality, just as other donors are also scaling back. The cumulative effect, witnesses argued, could set back progress in Nigeria by a decade or more.

**Fontes**

This article is based on testimony and evidence presented to the UK parliamentary committee on international development, as reported in official transcripts and summaries released by the committee secretariat. Additional context draws on publicly available reports from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, USAID, and humanitarian organisations operating in Nigeria, including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund. No specific named individuals have been cited in accordance with editorial guidelines.