Fact Sheet

The United States is taking strong and sustained action to help build democracy and economic opportunity and to reduce poverty and disease in Africa.

The following list highlights a few key U.S. Government assistance programs in Africa. In addition to these, the United States supports many bilateral and multi-lateral programs in partnership with Africans.

Overall Development Assistance

The U.S. provided $3.2 billion in official development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa in 2004 to help relieve poverty, provide humanitarian assistance, and spur economic growth. This is nearly triple the amount provided in 2000 ($1.1 billion), and the fastest rate of growth in U.S. foreign assistance since the Marshall Plan.

Trade

Imports from countries eligible under the African Growth and Opportunity Act increased 88 percent in 2004. More than 98 percent of imports from AGOA eligible countries entered the U.S. duty free in 2004.

HIV/AIDS Relief

Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, African countries received $780 million for HIV/AIDS prevention in 2004. That amount will grow to $1.1 billion in 2005. The U.S. has supported lifesaving treatment for more than 230,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa, and is on track to meet a five-year goal of providing treatment for two million African adults and children.

Emergency Humanitarian Assistance

The U.S. is the world’s largest provider of emergency humanitarian assistance to Africa. We have provided $1.4 billion to date in 2005.

The President  announced an added $674 million in humanitarian assistance for this year, in part to provide food to prevent famine in the Horn of Africa.

Dafura Humanitarian Assistance

The United States provided more than $379 million this year in humanitarian assistance for the people in Darfur and the refugees. Between 2003 and 2005, we provided more than $638 million for humanitarian assistance in Darfur.

Debt Relief

The U.S. and G8 partners have agreed to support 100 percent cancellation of debt owed to the World Bank, African Development Bank, and IMF by eligible heavily indebted poor countries. Fourteen African countries would be immediately eligible.

Millennium Challenge Account

Eight sub-Saharan African countries are currently eligible for funding under the President’s Millennium Challenge Account Initiative, an innovative mechanism providing aid to countries practicing economic policies and good governance. Madagascar and Cape Verde have already signed Millennium Challenge compacts.

Peacekeeping and Security

The U.S. is providing $150 million to the African Union peace mission in Darfur. We also fund the new UN mission in Sudan through our UN peacekeeping contribution.

Over the next five years, the United States will help train 40,000 African peacekeepers through the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI)/Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) Program.

---

 President Bush's New Initiatives

Malaria – $1.2 billion for malaria prevention and treatment over five years to reduce malaria deaths by 50 percent in targeted African countries.

African Education Initiative – doubling funding to $400 million for better, more accessible education for children in sub-Saharan Africa over four years.

Women’s Justice And Empowerment – $55 million to assist four  African countries to combat sexual violence, empower women legally and offer rehabilitation.