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On a overcast afternoon in a suburb of Accra, a gathering comprising officials, diplomats, NGO workers, and press has descended upon a learning space where students are seated around tables engaging with plastic bottle tops.

This catch-up class for out-of-school children, between eight and 16, is run by a Ghanaian project mostly funded by the British government. The attention stems from a visit by a senior UK minister assessing the effects of diminished assistance spending.

Accompanying her is Ghana’s education minister. “We appreciate the British government for its ongoing investment in our schools,” he remarks. “We are deeply worried about declining international development assistance to Africa and to Ghana. It does have consequences.”

He comments about missed chances for the children and how the Ghanaian government has had to fill the gap left by shrinking external funding. The UK official listens calmly, keeping a polite expression and gently nodding.

The official was appointed after the British decision to reduce the overseas assistance from half a percent of gross national income to 0.3%, marking a historic reduction in share terms. This represented a shift from previous pledges to supporting the world’s poorest populations.

The former official resigned in protest, saying that the reductions would damage the country’s image and remove essential support from needy communities. Half a year later, the new appointee is managing the implementation of these adjustments.

However she rejects her role as challenging, rather considering it as an opportunity to reshape aid approaches. On her trip to Ghana, she commented, “This is the most rewarding job in government. We can achieve much and make a difference for the improvement.”

According to latest data, the continent is the largest recipient of British assistance, getting nearly £1.5bn. Total official development assistance spending decreased by over a billion pounds from the prior year, with a substantial portion spent on asylum seekers within the UK.

Support to Ghana has also declined sharply in the past few years, falling from 47 million pounds in 2019 to under 14 million pounds in last year.

[The withdrawal will inevitably put a lot of pressure on our authorities

Certain areas and emergencies, including African nations, Ukraine, and Gaza, will continue to receive protected funding. Additionally, the UK has pledged resources to global organizations with a proven history of results, like the Global Fund and vaccine alliance.

However, reports has surfaced of specific projects being cut, including cash handouts for environmental adjustments in a southern African country and schooling initiatives in Pakistan.

“We will have fewer resources to spend on traditional programming,” the minister admits. “This is a reality confronted by many countries now. There is increasing strain on those budgets.”

Opposition of the cuts is widespread. A recent report warns that the cuts will have a severe impact on female populations and indicate that the UK is withdrawing from international engagement at a critical time.

When questioned about broken manifesto pledges, the official responded, “I disagree we have harmed our standing. Those who think that have a narrow view of what global aid should be.”

She admits she wishes there was additional funding available but emphasizes that nations now want greater control over their development.

The president of Ghana has previously stated that Africa requires not pity or foreign aid, but rather a equal opportunity to trade with the rest of the world. This view is shared by several African leaders.

The official’s visit in Ghana aimed to showcase achievements such as a tax partnership between British and local agencies, which has raised an additional 100 million pounds each year. Personnel from other nations have visited Ghana to study from the project.

Additional visited locations featured a biotechnology firm producing snake venom anti-serum and a medical center supported by the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.

Yet, while infectious diseases remain, the primary health challenges in Ghana and throughout Africa are now NCDs like blood sugar conditions and hypertension. A local health official noted that these conditions have surpassed infectious diseases and that funding cuts will increase the burden on national resources.

Away from the school, the Ghanaian official expressed similar concerns, criticizing the funding reductions but expressing gratitude for the partnership with the UK. When asked about the coming financial outlook, he stated, “We will cope.”

The British official afterward continued to additional meetings and a dinner before heading to a high-end hotel in central Accra.