Tech billionaire Elon Musk has thrown his weight behind former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s bold statement urging African nations to stop relying on foreign aid.
This follows US President Donald Trump’s recent move to halt global federal aid, a decision that has sparked debate among leaders worldwide.
Musk took to his X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, January 31, 2025, commenting, “Good for him,” in response to a video where Kenyatta delivered his hard-hitting message.
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO’s remark hinted at his support for Uhuru’s words, which called on African nations to embrace self-sufficiency rather than lament over Trump’s aid suspension.
Musk, who has recently been feted as the world’s richest man, was reacting to a two-day-old video of Kenyatta speaking at the East Africa Region Global Health Security Summit 2025 in Mombasa.
In the clip, the former Kenyan leader dismissed the backlash over Trump’s decision, questioning why African nations were crying over aid cuts from a foreign government.
“I saw some people the other day crying that Trump has removed funding. It is not your government, nor your country—why are you crying?” Uhuru posed. “He has no reason to give you anything; you don’t pay taxes in America. This is a wake-up call for you to know what you’ll do to support yourselves,” Kenyatta said.
Self reliance
Kenyatta further implored African nations to establish autonomous financial frameworks to handle crises such as pandemics, rather than leaning on Western benefactors.
He emphasized how overdependence on foreign assistance has stunted Africa’s economic progression and long-term stability.
“Whether we like it or not, funding for these (pandemics) has to come from ourselves because we have to begin to re-prioritize what is important for us as Africans,” Kenyatta asserted.
The former president also condemned the continent’s misguided fiscal priorities, lamenting that Africa squanders billions on warfare rather than directing resources toward critical sectors like healthcare and education.
He pointed to ongoing conflicts in Sudan and the Sahel region as glaring examples of Africa’s failure to channel funds effectively.
“We need to remember the resources wasted when we kill each other. When we remember the lives lost in Sudan, all the way to the Sahel region, we’ve spent more buying bullets than protecting our health,” he remarked.
Kenyatta also reflected on Africa’s struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic, where Western nations secured vaccines for their citizens first while African countries waited for surplus handouts.
He cautioned that African nations must proactively prepare for future pandemics instead of banking on foreign medical aid.
“As Africans, we should not wait for others to come to our rescue. We watched CNN and BBC celebrate new vaccines being rolled out, but none were coming to us. For any future pandemic, don’t think they’ll prioritize us; they give you the surplus, at times for free, after they have sorted themselves first,” he warned.
Leave a Reply