Sweden Ends Decades of Support to Liberia, Imperiling Reproductive Care
Sweden closed its embassy in Monrovia on 31 August, ending billions of kronor in aid that had supported Liberia's recovery since 2008. The withdrawal, part of sweeping cuts to Swedish development funding, leaves sexual and reproductive health services without a major backer. Liberian clinics already face shortages after USAID's dismantling.
Sweden's development partnership with Liberia began in 2008, following the end of the country's civil war, and totaled more than SEK 5.77 billion over nearly two decades. Beyond health programs, Swedish funding supported infrastructure, democratic institutions, humanitarian efforts, and natural resource management, while also playing a key role during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak response.
The withdrawal compounds an already fragile situation. USAID's dismantling had previously left Liberian clinics without contraceptive supplies, and now the Power project—which reached 16,350 women across nine counties and assisted over 400 gender-based violence survivors in seeking justice—will not have its funding renewed. Sweden maintains it will redirect contributions through EU channels and multilateral bodies such as UN Women and UNFPA.
The simultaneous withdrawal of both USAID and Swedish support could leave Liberia's reproductive healthcare system critically underfunded, with clinics struggling to maintain basic services like family planning and HIV care. Women in rural areas, who already faced barriers to accessing care, may bear the heaviest burden. The loss of multi-year funding for gender-based violence programs could also stall justice efforts for survivors, potentially reversing gains made in women's rights over the past decade.