The Dutch have been a thousand times more elegant in handling their international aid cuts than US President Donald Trump’s administration, which shut down its aid programme with one swift, heavy-handed blow.
The Netherlands has long been a significant donor of development aid to Africa, but it recently announced cuts starting in 2027, when it will reduce its aid budget by €2.4 billion ($2.5 billion) annually. This gives African countries receiving substantial Dutch aid cheques ample time—as good Kenyans might say—to “put their affairs in order.”
