As international development assistance to Africa contracts sharply, a Nigerian policy institute, The Nextier, will unveil research on Friday, October 24, examining how the country can build sustainable growth models less dependent on foreign aid—a shift accelerated by the United States government’s freeze on development funding earlier this year.
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A policy research organisation, The Nextier will release its report “USAID Freeze: From Aid to Agency” and host a dialogue on alternative development pathways at a virtual event featuring leaders from major international foundations and Nigerian government officials.
The 2025 USAID funding freeze has forced a reckoning across Nigeria’s development sector, where aid flows have long supported health, humanitarian, and governance programmes. The Nextier’s research examines how organisations have responded to the sudden contraction, finding signs of adaptation including NGOs adopting social enterprise models, diaspora communities exploring investment-driven philanthropy, and corporations reconsidering their approach to social responsibility.
Shrinking Aid Landscape
The report comes as donor priorities shift inward globally and concessional finance becomes increasingly scarce. According to The Nextier, aid programmes across Africa have stalled, budgets have tightened, and civic space has narrowed—developments that pose fundamental questions about development strategies built on external support.
“Nigeria—long dependent on these flows for health, humanitarian, and governance programmes—now faces a defining question: What happens when the taps run dry?” the organisation stated in its event announcement.
The research argues that Nigeria must develop capabilities grounded in domestic resources, institutional confidence, and collective responsibility rather than external dependency. The study suggests the aid freeze, while disruptive, has catalysed innovation in how development work is funded and structured.
High-Level Speakers
Friday’s policy dialogue, scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon West Africa Time, will feature opening remarks from the president of the MacArthur Foundation, John Palfrey, and Nigeria’s Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Tanko Sununu.
Additional messages will come from Kole Shettima of the MacArthur Foundation, ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye of the Ford Foundation, and Toyin Akinniyi of the Luminate Group.
A panel discussion will examine specific strategies for building self-sustaining development models:
– Dr. Mayesha Alam, Senior Vice President at Foreign Policy magazine, will discuss how diaspora communities are financing homegrown philanthropy.
– Andrew Mamedu of ActionAid Nigeria will address mobilising local philanthropic resources for civil society organisations.
– Blair Glencorse, Founder and Co-CEO of Accountability Lab Global, will explore innovative citizen-driven accountability mechanisms.
– Wale Adeosun, Founder and CEO of Kuramo Capital Management and Chairman of the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF), will discuss how alumni networks can drive sectoral development.
– Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO of Sterling One Foundation, will speak on accelerating social impact through scale.
From Dependency to Agency
The event’s framing states that sustainable development requires nations to believe in their own capacity to solve problems rather than relying primarily on external goodwill. The Nextier argues that while aid can complement domestic efforts, it cannot substitute for indigenous problem-solving capacity.
The research suggests that countries that successfully escaped poverty did so by building confidence in their own institutions and resources—a path Nigeria must now pursue more deliberately as traditional aid flows become less reliable.
The virtual dialogue is open to public registration through The Nextier’s website, with a concept note available for download ahead of the event.
The discussion indicates broader debates across the Global South about development financing models as geopolitical shifts reshape international assistance priorities and recipient countries seek greater autonomy in determining their development trajectories.
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