PPDC resumes operations after Trump-era aid freeze – CEO

The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has resumed full operations after a three-month disruption caused by the suspension of U.S. foreign aid under former United States President Donald Trump, its Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Lucy Abagi, has said.

Abagi disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, explaining that the funding halt significantly affected the organisation’s activities, led to staff layoffs and created major financial gaps.

She said several PPDC projects supported by United States agencies were impacted by the directive, which suspended almost all U.S. foreign development assistance to countries worldwide, including Nigeria.

According to Abagi, the decision had wide-reaching implications for civil society organisations that depend largely on international donor funding.

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

“Many of our projects were funded by the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and when the freeze happened, contracts were suspended, reduced or outrightly terminated.”

She noted that the United States provides more than 60 per cent of global aid funding, adding that the policy affected not only Nigeria but many developing countries across Africa.

“Several contract projects were stopped, terminated or reduced. We had to suspend work for about three months before the funding was restored,” she said.

Abagi explained that the funding gap forced the organisation to disengage several contract staff working on donor-funded projects, leaving only about 11 employees during the period of inactivity.

“We faced serious operational challenges. For at least one month, there was virtually no work, and we had to let some staff go,” she added.

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

“We have adopted various strategies, including establishing subsidiaries involved in business ventures, to generate income that can support PPDC’s activities,” she said.

“We are also exploring ways to operate independently through shared interests, partnerships and commitments, so our work does not rely solely on foreign aid.”

She added that the organisation is now focusing on low-cost, sustainable approaches to continue delivering its programmes and interventions.

Speaking on justice sector reforms, Abagi highlighted PPDC’s contributions to protecting vulnerable citizens and improving access to justice.

“Through our interventions, we have helped reduce inmate populations and protect the rights of the most vulnerable in the justice system.

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

PPDC is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting good governance, accountability and transparency in Nigeria, with a focus on justice reform, anti-corruption, public procurement monitoring, access to information and civic engagement.