Billions for war, pennies for Africa: A continent ignored
Wars are expensive no matter how brief or localised they may be.
That is why global conflicts often draw the attention and resources of world powers.
The Russia-Ukraine war, which began in 2022, has been no exception.
It has drawn massive financial commitments from nations like the United States, while many African countries continue to struggle to raise even modest sums for basic development.
For example, Ghana and other African nations have partly blamed their recent economic hardships on the global disruptions caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Similarly, when Israel and Iran clashed for 12 days recently, global leaders immediately called for de-escalation, warning of economic fallout.
That conflict ended quickly, thanks in part to international pressure but the Russia-Ukraine war rages on with no clear end in sight.
Astronomical amount
What is particularly striking is the astronomical amount of money being poured into the war effort. Both Russia and Ukraine have spent billions on their military campaigns.
Their allies, especially Western nations, have also committed vast sums in support—funds that could have made a transformative difference in Africa.
The United States alone has reportedly spent over $100 billion in aid to Ukraine. During a meeting at the White House on February 28, 2025, President Trump claimed that without U.S. assistance, Ukraine might have fallen to Russia within two weeks of the start of the war.
He later told French President Emmanuel Macron that U.S. support to Ukraine had cost as much as $300 billion, a figure disputed by some but still indicative of the scale of spending.
According to a March 1, 2025, BBC report titled “How much has the US given to Ukraine?”, the Kiel Institute in Germany tracked U.S. aid to Ukraine at $119.7 billion between January 2022 and December 2024.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense places the figure at $182.8 billion. Regardless of which figure is accurate, $119.7 billion, $182.8 billion, or $300 billion, the implication remains the same; even a fraction of these funds could have drastically improved health care, infrastructure, education, and economic growth across Africa.
The European Union has also committed more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Yet Africa, a continent with 54 nations, receives only a fraction of this generosity. It's a troubling contrast that highlights global priorities.
While wars receive prompt and generous funding, African development is often met with bureaucratic delays, conditional aid, or outright neglect.
Powerful plea
On June 26, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama made a powerful plea.
In a Facebook post, he urged global leaders to prioritise funding for child immunisation over military spending. He pointed to Gavi Alliance’s plan to spend $9 billion from 2026 to 2030 to vaccinate 500 million children worldwide.
Comparing that to the $2.13 billion cost of a single B-2 Spirit bomber, Mahama asked: “Surely, the world can invest the equivalent of four of those bombers to save 500 million children.”
Indeed, it’s not just about what’s being spent but what’s not. For centuries, Africa has suffered from the legacy of colonialism, slavery and resource exploitation.
The same Western nations now pouring billions into war have long refused to offer reparations for these historical injustices.
They continue to hoard priceless African artifacts stolen during colonial times, resisting calls for their repatriation.
Diplomatic voice
Rather than support foreign wars, African nations should channel their diplomatic voice toward demanding the return of these looted cultural items and seeking reparations for slavery and colonisation.
These injustices are directly tied to Africa’s current underdevelopment.
Many of the nations funding Ukraine's war efforts profited immensely from the wealth they extracted from Africa during those dark centuries.
Africa needs investment not arms.
What the continent requires is a small share of the massive resources currently being spent on destruction.
Roads, hospitals, schools, clean water, and vaccines can uplift millions and create a brighter future.
But these remain underfunded, while war efforts receive blank checks.
If global leaders truly want to promote peace and justice, they must begin by investing in life not war.
