According to international NGO ActionAid, the reduction in public spending in six African countries has led to a decline in health and education workers’ income by up to 50% in five years, struggling to achieve their goals.
The human costs of Africa’s public sector cuts issued on Tuesday found that 97% of health workers surveyed in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi and Nigeria could not cover basic needs such as wages and rent.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it blames the government for the failure of these countries’ public systems as it advises governments to significantly reduce public spending to repay foreign debt. As the debt crisis rapidly worsens in the global South, over three-quarters of all low-income countries around the world spend more on debt services than healthcare.
“The debt crisis and the claims of reducing public services in favor of the IMF’s foreign debt repayments have severely hindered investments in health care and education across Africa. In 2024, Nigeria allocated only 4% of its national revenue to health.
The report highlighted that insufficient budgets for the healthcare system led to chronic shortages and poor service quality.
Women seem to be affected by disproportionately.
“Last month I saw four women giving birth at home due to affordable hospital costs. The community is being asked to get vaccinated and vaccinated in private hospitals as it is not available in public hospitals. Our (local) health services are restricted for pregnant women and breastfeeding women.”
According to NGOs, malaria medicine, which continues to be the leading cause of death across the African continent, especially among young children and pregnant women, is now 10 times more expensive in private facilities. Millions of people are unable to access life-saving care due to long travel distances, rising fees and shortages of healthcare workers.
“Malaria is an epidemic in our community (as drug therapy is currently out of reach). Five years ago, I was able to buy an anti-malaria drug (anti-malaria drug) for 50 Birrs ($0.4), but now it costs over 500 Birr ($4) at a private health center.”
“It’s almost impossible to provide quality education.”
The situation is equally disastrous in education, as budget cuts have led to the failure of the public education system, which has been crippled by rising costs, lack of learning materials and overcrowded classrooms.
Teachers report being overwhelmed by overcrowded classrooms, with some having to manage more than 200 students. Furthermore, about 87% of teachers say they lack basic classroom materials, while 73% pay for the materials themselves.
Meanwhile, teacher wages have been gradually declining, with 84% reporting a 10-15% decline in income over the past five years.
“I often have a hard time putting enough food on the table,” said a Liberian teacher, identified as Casol.
Four of the six countries included in the report spend less than a fifth of the national budget on education, according to the UNESCO Statistics Institute.
“I believe that education is the most unvaluable profession right now. With over 200 students in my class and the lack of teaching and learning material, it is almost impossible to provide quality education,” said a teacher at an elementary school in Malawi’s Lamfi district, who was identified as Marwa.
Action Aid said the report suggests the outcome of the IMF approved policy is widespread. Healthcare workers and educators are strictly restricted in the work they can do. This has a direct result on the quality of services we can provide.
“The debt crisis and austerity will be amplified in countries in the southern and low-income countries of the world, particularly due to the unfair global economic system implemented by outdated institutions such as the IMF,” said Roos Saalbrink, world economic justice lead at ActionAid International. “This means that debt burdens will be on the most marginalized people. Once again. This has to be over.”