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n 2024, the African continent witnessed great tumult but also many positive developments. While several conflicts worsened, instability spread, and diseases emerged, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) continued to support progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS across Africa, make key investments in its people, and expand and strengthen efforts to lift up economic resilience and development. I want to highlight three key areas in which USAID engaged with our African partners this year to address both opportunities and challenges. 

USAID helped address the impact of drought and strengthen long-term food security. In southern Africa, the worst drought in a century caused widespread food insecurity, affecting an estimated 26 million people and contributing to an energy crisis across the region. In response, the US government provided humanitarian assistance and made agricultural investments to boost long-term food security. USAID’s Feed the Future Accelerator recognizes that southern Africa has the potential to be a breadbasket, both feeding the region and exporting beyond it. Providing short-term food assistance to those in need while developing resilient food systems will ensure a more sustainable food security outlook for the entire continent. 

USAID helped to increase US-Africa trade and investment. In the last six months of 2024, the US government facilitated 401 deals valued at $32.5 billion across Africa. USAID prioritized working with Prosper Africa to boost trade and investment as part of this investment surge. In 2024, Prosper Africa expanded its engagement with the continent, launching the US-Africa Trade Desk, which closed its first deal for over $56 million soon after its creation. Prosper Africa continues to create opportunities to leverage private investment dollars and reduce perceived risk for investments on the continent, while USAID has continued to engage multilateral and bilateral partners for increased economic resilience across the continent.  

USAID helped improve health outcomes and strengthen pandemic control and identification capacities. Global health security remains a priority in our post-COVID-19 world. In Africa, we saw continued gains in responding to HIV/AIDS, preventing and treating malaria and tuberculosis, and addressing ongoing outbreaks while also managing new disease outbreaks such as mpox and Marburg. USAID is supporting the historic rollout of the world's first malaria vaccines and played a pivotal role in expanding access to vaccines for the mpox response while increasing access to diagnostics. Critically, USAID is investing in risk communication and information integrity campaigns to enable people to access accurate outbreak information for the Marburg and mpox outbreaks. 
 

USAID remains a steadfast partner to countries across Africa. As 2024 draws to a close, we look forward to building on the progress made and helping advance development goals across the continent.  

Monde Muyangwa is the assistant administrator in the Bureau for Africa at the US Agency for International Development.