By Sashin Naidoo

This is in the US federal government’s quest to stay true to President Donald Trump’s “America first” policy stance.

On Trump’s first day in office, he announced that all foreign assistance would be evaluated as to whether it makes the US safer, stronger and more prosperous.

USAf says this decision will have a severely negative impact on critical research which is currently being conducted across the globe.

USAf says the challenges facing humanity in the 21st century are both local and global in nature, necessitating system-to-system research collaborations more than ever before, if nations are to find lasting solutions to these common challenges.

USAf Chairperson Professor Francis Petersen says by withdrawing foreign aid, the Trump administration risks undoing progress realised in joint programmes, thus diminishing its global standing in the fight against poverty, hunger, disease, and natural disasters.

--SABC--