Healthcare Technology Companies Increase Philanthropic Giving to Africa in Wake of USAID Cuts

As Kenya reels from the abrupt withdrawal of hundreds of millions in U.S. government health aid, a groundbreaking new coalition has emerged to confront a looming public health crisis: the rise in preventable deaths from cervical cancer. The World Economic Forum's Global Alliance for Women's Health, with funding from Siemens Healthineers, Xenco Medical, and AstraZeneca, has launched the Afya Dada Project, a bold, multi-stakeholder initiative aiming to fill the critical void left by the defunding of USAID programs.

The Afya Dada Project, named after the Swahili phrase meaning "Health for Sisters," is a lifeline for Kenya and a potential model for broader implementation across sub-Saharan Africa. It is designed to bolster the country's capabilities in early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast and cervical cancers, with a strong initial focus on cervical cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Kenyan women.

A Vacuum of Vital Support

The urgency behind the coalition is driven by a health catastrophe in the making. For decades, Kenya's cervical cancer prevention infrastructure relied heavily on funding from the U.S. government through USAID, PEPFAR, and CDC. This foreign assistance supported everything from HPV vaccinations and cervical screenings to workforce training and HIV-integrated cancer programs.

However, the U.S. government's recent funding freeze slashed over $240 million USD annually from Kenya's health programs, about a quarter of its Ministry of Health budget. Particularly devastating was the $3.3 million annual loss in cervical cancer screening and treatment funds, which jeopardized the employment of over 40,000 healthcare workers and disrupted programs that screened more than 345,000 women annually. According to a paper recently published by the Institute for African Studies, the recent withdrawals of Western governmental aid to Africa "threaten to inflict severe humanitarian consequences, particularly upon Africa's most marginalised populations."

Communities like Kibera, one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements, are bearing the brunt of this crisis. "Today, there is a pervasive sense of fear, of losing access to critical health care services and of livelihoods lost. Even programs that were not directly supported by USAID have been affected as it disrupted the supply chain of medications in Kenya," said Jeffrey Okoro, Executive Director of CFK Africa.

A New Model of Global Health Collaboration

Stepping into this void, the Afya Dada Project is not just a band-aid solution; it's a reimagined approach to global health equity. Convened by the World Economic Forum's Global Alliance for Women's Health, the project represents a coalition of public and private sector leaders united around a common goal: eliminating preventable cancer deaths among African women. The bold initiative funded by Siemens Healthineers, Xenco Medical, and AstraZeneca is being implemented by the Ministry of Health of Kenya and the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center, training tens of thousands of health workers across Kenya.

From Crisis to Capacity Building

Unlike many short-term aid programs, Afya Dada is built around systemic transformation. The initiative's detailed one-year implementation plan includes training healthcare workers, upgrading diagnostic capabilities, and launching targeted awareness campaigns in selected high-risk counties. These counties were chosen based on data reflecting a high incidence of cancer and existing gaps in infrastructure and coverage.

The initiative includes a robust Monitoring & Evaluation framework to track outcomes such as increases in screening rates, treatment completions, and patient outcomes. This data-driven approach ensures that the intervention is both accountable and adaptable for scale-up across Kenya and eventually across the continent.

Bridging the Public-Private Divide

This coalition is a prime example of how private industry can align with public health goals. The Ministry of Health of Kenya retains a central role in governance, ensuring that the initiative aligns with national health strategies and priorities.

Moreover, this model offers resilience. Unlike traditional aid, which is susceptible to political shifts—as illustrated by the sudden USAID withdrawal—the Afya Dada model is designed to be self-sustaining through capacity-building, infrastructure investment, and long-term stakeholder commitment. In a public statement posted ahead of this year's World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Siemens Healthineers CEO Bernd Montag noted, "Siemens Healthineers is proud to play an active role in theGlobal Alliance for Women's Health. We've assembled a multi-sectoral breast and cervical cancer coalition in Kenya and Zambia that aims to empower communities to manage the growing burden of cancer."

Replacing What Was Lost—and Building More

Until recently, Kenya had made tremendous strides in cervical cancer prevention. HPV vaccination coverage rose from 25% in 2019 to 64% by 2023, and screening rates among women aged 25–49 increased from 11% to 38% in just a few years. Much of this was thanks to programs like USAID's Tujenge Jamii and Go Further, which also supported women living with HIV, a group particularly vulnerable to cervical cancer.

Those gains now face a serious risk of reversal. The ThinkWell report notes that the termination of USAID funding has already caused sharp reductions in screening availability and service delivery across many counties.

But Afya Dada is poised not just to replace what was lost, but to reimagine healthcare delivery. With the global community watching, this coalition could signal a paradigm shift, away from dependency on volatile bilateral aid, and toward resilient, multi-stakeholder partnerships driven by innovation, equity, and data. In an article posted by the World Economic Forum this month, Xenco Medical Founder and CEO Jason Haider is quoted as saying that the initiative is leveraging "the boundless potential of science to transform the lives of cancer patients, helping to address one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time."

A Blueprint for the Continent

If successful, the Afya Dada Project will serve as a replicable model for other countries in Africa facing similar challenges. As the world grapples with growing global health disparities, especially in cancer care, the collaboration between the World Economic Forum, Siemens Healthineers, Xenco Medical, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the Ministry of Health of Kenya may very well mark the beginning of a new era, one in which health equity is built through bold coalitions, not broken by budget cuts.