The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has unveiled a significant update, revealing the cancellation of a grant that was approved for Nigerian businesses by the United States African Development Foundation (USADF).
Founded to support grassroots African enterprises and social entrepreneurs, the Foundation operates across 21 African nations, having made investments in over 40 countries to date.
In a 7th of April, 2025, update posted on its website, DOGE disclosed that the USADF has pulled the plug on a $84,059 grant allocated for “a business incubator for spa & wellness entrepreneurs in Nigeria.”
The USADF, over the past five years, has invested a substantial $117 million into more than 1,000 African small businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations, reaching an impressive 7 million lives in its mission to fuel economic growth across the continent.
In a separate update, DOGE, now led by Elon Musk, also reported a landmark shift in U.S. foreign service policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ended discriminatory practices in foreign service assessments, reinstating a focus on merit.
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Previously, the Department of State incorporated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) criteria into 20 percent of Foreign Service Officer evaluations, with diplomats assessed on factors such as avoiding “gendered adjectives,” promoting “DEIA training/programs/lectures,” and supporting “annual DEIA awards ceremonies.”
Officers were further evaluated on their commitment to advancing “racial and gender justice issues” in foreign law enforcement cooperation and enforcing race/gender quotas for speaking panels at embassy events.
Rubio celebrated the “important and historic reforms,” emphasizing that “our exceptional Foreign Service Officers will now be evaluated based on true merit, not on arbitrary immutable characteristics.”