UK slashes Nigeria aid by over 50% as global assistance shrinks

Nigeria faces a significant reduction in UK development aid, with allocations set to drop by 50.2% to £68 million by the 2028-2029 financial year. This cut, detailed in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) 2025-2026 Annual Report and Accounts, is part of a wider UK strategy to reduce overseas development assistance (ODA) to 0.3% of Gross National Income by 2027.

“

The Department’s ODA spending plans for 2026–29 reflect the trajectory of this reduction and how the UK is modernising its approach to development, in line with the Foreign Secretary’s 19 March 2026 Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1425) and Oral Statement to the House.

The government states the move is necessary to fund domestic priorities, including a "necessary increase in spending on defence." This overhaul will impact all 34 African countries receiving UK aid, with some facing reductions as high as 92.5%. The FCDO emphasized that these allocations are subject to revision and are continually reviewed to respond to changing global needs, including humanitarian crises.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that Britain is not abandoning its values despite the cuts. She explained that the UK will "transition away from spending high levels of grant ODA" in many countries but will maintain high ambition through "modernised partnerships." Cooper highlighted the department's refreshed priorities, which aim to tackle intractable problems like economic security, illegal migration, hybrid threats, and climate change, and to build agile alliances for international progress.

“

In a range of countries, we will transition away from spending high levels of grant ODA, but our ambition and effort will remain high, delivering through modernised partnerships, and making the most of what the UK has to offer.

This decision mirrors a trend among other European nations, including the US and Germany, which are also scaling back their foreign assistance budgets to reallocate funds towards defense spending and domestic economic programs. The UK's shift signals a recalibration of its international development approach, prioritizing national interests and security concerns.

“

From economic security and illegal migration to hybrid threats and climate change, the FCDO’s six refreshed priorities seek to tackle our most intractable problems head-on, prepare ourselves better for the future crises we will face, and build the kind of agile alliances that we will need to secure progress at international level.