The United Kingdom has cancelled the Strengthening Higher Education for Female Empowerment (SHEFE) programme only two years after its launch. The initiative had a £45 million budget and aimed to expand access to higher education for one million girls and women across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. However, the government withdrew the programme after reducing the UK’s international aid budget. As a result, education and development organizations expressed concern about its impact.
A programme designed to expand opportunities
SHEFE was created to strengthen higher education through international partnerships. According to the report, girls who access higher education are up to six times less likely to marry as children. Moreover, they are less likely to experience intimate partner violence and are more likely to increase their future earnings. Therefore, campaigners argue that cancelling the programme weakens efforts to promote gender equality through education.
Aid reductions affect more education initiatives
The cancellation of SHEFE follows several recent aid cuts. Earlier this year, the UK also withdrew its planned £150 million Education for All programme in South Sudan. In addition, education projects in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Zimbabwe lost funding. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office also reduced the budget of its Girls’ Education Department by 51%. Meanwhile, new study visas were blocked for applicants from Afghanistan, Sudan, Myanmar and Cameroon.
Experts warn of global consequences
Education advocates and humanitarian organizations believe these decisions contradict the UK’s commitment to women and girls. Furthermore, UNICEF estimates that international education aid will fall by $3.2 billion by 2026. Consequently, around six million more children could be out of school, many of them in humanitarian settings. Although the UK government said the aid cuts will support increased defence spending, it also stated that funding to tackle violence against women and girls will remain protected.
Reference
Johnson, S. (2026, July 4). Overseas education project for women and girls axed by UK after two years. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jul/04/overseas-education-project-for-women-and-girls-axed-by-uk-after-two-years