Abuja: The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has announced that it is back in operation after facing significant disruptions caused by the suspension of foreign aid by former United States President Donald Trump. This halt in funding led to staff layoffs and created substantial funding gaps, impacting several projects supported by U.S. agencies.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Mrs. Lucy Abagi, Chief Executive Officer of PPDC, explained that the directive from the Trump administration, which stopped nearly all U.S. foreign development assistance worldwide, had severe consequences for civil society organizations, including those like PPDC that rely heavily on international donor funding.
“When Trump became President of the United States, there was a halt on all development funds,” Abagi stated. “Several of our projects were funded by the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). So, when the freeze happened, contracts were suspended, reduced, or outrightly terminated.”
Abagi further emphasized the global impact by noting, “The United States accounts for more than 60 percent of global aid funding. So, not just Nigeria, but many developing countries in Africa were massively affected. Contract projects were stopped, some were terminated or reduced, and we had to stop work for about three months, after which the fund was retired.”
The funding shortfall forced the organization to lay off several contract workers involved in donor-funded projects, retaining only about 11 personnel during the period of inactivity. “We experienced serious operational hitches. There was practically no work for at least one month, and we had to disengage some staff members,” Abagi revealed.
Despite the challenges, PPDC has taken steps to ensure sustainability and continuity. Abagi mentioned that over the past year, PPDC has adopted various internal strategies aimed at maintaining their operations without relying solely on foreign donor support. “We have adopted different strategies and built subsidiaries involved in business ventures so we can generate profit to support PPDC’s work. We are also exploring ways to operate independently, focusing on shared interests, partnerships, and commitments to ensure that our work does not depend solely on foreign aid,” she said.
Abagi highlighted that the organization is prioritizing low-cost and sustainable approaches to continue delivering its programs and interventions. She also noted the organization’s ongoing efforts in the justice sector, particularly in protecting vulnerable citizens and improving access to justice. “Through our projects, we have worked to reduce inmate populations and protect the rights of the most vulnerable within the justice system. We are currently providing pro-bono legal representation to over 20,000 individuals unjustly held without trial, and we have digitized about 48 courts in the Federal Capital Territory,” she added.
PPDC is recognized as a non-governmental organization committed to strengthening good governance, accountability, and transparency in Nigeria.