A representative of a former U.S.-funded project in Côte d'Ivoire, which established itself as a local NGO after the U.S. aid cuts, said: “The closing of USAID was catastrophic at first and then it was kind of cathartic. We can now work on issues that we wanted to work on without the constraints.”
Date: 3/25
Region: Africa
Country: Côte d'Ivoire
Topic: Peacebuilding & Stabilization
Policy Lens: Security & Resilience
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: Resilience for Peace, or R4P, began as a five year, nearly $20 million USAID-funded project implemented by Equal Access International. Supporting the implementation of the 10-year U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, part of the Global Fragility Act, in the region, it helped Ivorian border communities counter violent extremism through media engagement, governance reform, community-based peacebuilding activities, natural resource management, conflict mitigation and livelihoods initiatives. When U.S. funding was pulled in March 2025, R4P decided to establish itself as an independent local organization.
According to the representative quoted, a shift to EU-majority funding has alleviated the more complex compliance burden under U.S. rules, noting the Leahy Law as an implementation hurdle. R4P works closely with national security forces, vital to its countering violent extremism objectives. This type of security sector assistance was restricted and difficult with U.S. aid funding, according to the representative.
Source: R4P