Across Africa, governments borrowing from multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are increasingly required to implement wide-ranging domestic reforms — covering governance, taxation, subsidy removal, and social policy — as a condition of accessing cheaper concessional financing. Kenya's recently approved $750m World Bank package has reignited the controversy, with President William Ruto publicly criticising demands he says extend far beyond the purpose of the loans, while economists note that governments with limited financing alternatives have little room to push back. Critics warn that austerity-linked conditions disproportionately harm ordinary citizens — as seen during Kenya's deadly 2024 anti-tax protests and similar upheaval in Ghana and Nigeria — while supporters argue the reforms strengthen institutions and help countries avoid deeper debt crises.