Africa Aid Overview
Trends in U.S. Assistance to the Region
United States assistance finds its way to Africa through a variety of channels. Bilateral or country-to-country aid, also known as direct assistance, is given through nongovernmental organizations or private and voluntary organizations, contractors, and African government ministries and agencies. Multilateral aid, or indirect assistance, is given first to international financial institutions and United Nations agencies, which in turn channel it to Africa through their own programs.Bilateral Aid U.S. bilateral aid to the region rose sharply in the early 1960s as most African countries achieved independence. This was also a time of intense Cold War competition with the Soviet Union. Aid…
