
Effective Friday, February 7, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will place all direct-hire personnel worldwide on administrative leave.
For USAID staff stationed outside the United States, the agency, in collaboration with local missions, is formulating a plan to arrange and fund return travel to the U.S. within 30 days.
The announcement made on the USAID official website could have implications for Namibia, where USAID has been a partner in various sectors.
In July 2024, the U.S. government, through USAID, provided US$4.9 million in humanitarian assistance to support drought-affected populations in Namibia.
Additionally, in March 2024, USAID announced a grant of N$19 million to Namibia's green hydrogen sector to support the country's growing green hydrogen energy sector.
Namibia has also benefitted from USAID's support in areas such as health, education, and economic development, with programmes also aimed at training and deploying health personnel to rural areas.
nbc News reached out to the U.S. Embassy to establish how many local jobs the closure of USAID will affect and how this closure will directly impact the work being done by the programme.
The nbc will give an update once the embassy has responded.