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- Convenors:
-
Calvin Minfegue
(Catholic University of Central Africa)
Amalia Dragani (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS))
Sophie Andreetta (University of Liège)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Disciplinary streams:
- Anthropology
Short Abstract
This panel discusses local responses to recent changes in international aid in sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular focus on community-led responses. These responses are embedded within a complex web of relationships and reflect the diversity of the concept of community.
Long Abstract
Over the past ten years, constraints on international aid have reached unprecedented levels, including drastic resource declines, donor withdrawals, and the emergence of new actors (AFD, 2023; Simpson, 2026). In sub-Saharan Africa, this aid supported essential sectors such as health, education, and humanitarian assistance, which are now gradually being neglected. In response to this recent change, sub-Saharan states, regional organisations, and aid agencies have devised various responses that are beginning to be documented (Le Naëlou, Hofmann, and Kojoué, 2020; IMF, 2026). However, very little is known about local responses—particularly those of communities—to this new configuration. This panel discusses these local responses to recent changes in aid in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on those led by communities. The aim is to examine these reactions as embedded within a network of relationships that involve and connect a variety of actors (international organisations, NGOs, state institutions, etc.) and that are sensitive to the diverse expressions of the concept of community in these contexts, which were once heavily influenced by aid. What are communities’ perceptions of the changes brought about by the decline in international aid? What kinds of organisational models, practices and relationships are these communities developing to cope with these changes? What forms of collective action are they organising? What alternative resources are they mobilising to address these transformations? How these responses reflect community dynamics? This panel welcomes empirically grounded contributions from anthropology and related social sciences, examining diverse African contexts and various areas of international aid intervention.