PPDC back resumes operation after Trump’s funding halt – CEO

By Tunde Opalana

16 December 2025

News

The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) says the suspension of foreign aid by United States President Donald Trump significantly disrupted its operations, forced staff layoffs, and created major funding gaps, before it was restored after three months.

Mrs Lucy Abagi, Chief Executive Officer of PPDC, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

Abagi said several PPDC projects supported by United States agencies were affected by the directive, which halted nearly all U.S. foreign development assistance to countries worldwide, including Nigeria.

According to her, the decision had far-reaching consequences for civil society organisations that rely heavily on international donor funding.

When Trump became President of the United States, there was a halt on all development funds.

“Several of our projects were funded by the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

“So, when the freeze happened, contracts were suspended, reduced or outrightly terminated,” she said.

Abagi added: “The United States accounts for more than 60 per cent of global aid funding

“So, not just Nigeria, but many developing countries in Africa were massively affected. Contract projects were stopped, some were terminated or reduced, and we had to stop work for about three months, after which the fund was retired”.

She said the funding shortfall compelled the organisation to lay off several contract workers engaged on donor-funded projects, retaining only about 11 personnel during the period of inactivity.

“We experienced serious operational hitches. There was practically no work for at least one month, and we had to disengage some staff members,” she said.

Despite the setback, Abagi said PPDC has, over the past year, intensified internal strategies to ensure sustainability and continuity of its mission, even without foreign donor support.

“We have adopted different strategies and built subsidiaries involved in business ventures so we can generate profit to support PPDC’s work.

“We are also exploring ways to operate independently, focusing on shared interests, partnerships and commitments to ensure that our work does not depend solely on foreign aid,” she said.

She noted that the organisation is now prioritising low-cost and sustainable approaches to continue delivering its programmes and interventions.

On justice sector reforms, Abagi highlighted PPDC’s impact in protecting vulnerable citizens and improving access to justice.

“Through our projects, we have worked to reduce inmate populations and protect the rights of the most vulnerable within the justice system.

“We are currently providing pro-bono legal representation to over 20,000 individuals unjustly held without trial, and we have digitised about 48 courts in the Federal Capital Territory,” she said.

NAN reports that PPDC is a non-governmental organisation committed to strengthening good governance, accountability and transparency in Nigeria.

Its core mandate is to enhance citizens’ participation in governance processes and improve the integrity of public institutions. The organisation works across justice reform, anti-corruption, public procurement monitoring, access to information and civic engagement.