The United Kingdom is scaling back one of its most influential international institutions, with the British Council set to close offices in Botswana, Mozambique and Tanzania as part of a wider restructuring driven by financial pressures and shrinking aid budgets.
The move is part of a plan to end the British Council's permanent presence in nine countries, reflecting the mounting strain on international development organisations as governments tighten overseas aid spending.
The cultural and educational organisation, which promotes the UK's soft power through English language programmes, education partnerships and cultural exchanges, said it had secured £40 million ($54 million) in additional non-aid funding over the next three years.
While the funding helped avert a more severe scenario that could have seen up to 40% of its overseas network shut down, the organisation said it still needed to reduce its global footprint to become "modern, efficient and sustainable."
The closures follow years of financial challenges for the British Council after the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted its commercial income from English language teaching and examination services. The downturn forced the organisation to rely on a UK government loan that has since grown to £197 million.
