Zambia is set to sign an agreement on Thursday which allows the country to receive $1.5 billion in health funding from the United States over five years. Health Minister Roma Chilengi said the deal followed the resolution of concerns over US requests for medical data.
“The government is pleased to announce that it will sign the agreement on Thursday,” Chilengi said at a press conference on Tuesday. Under the agreement, the United States will provide $1.5 billion in health funding over five years. Zambia will contribute $2.1 billion during the same period, the minister said.
The United States is a major funder of HIV/AIDS, malaria and public health programmes in Zambia. Negotiations had stalled earlier this year over Zambia’s concerns about data privacy. There were also concerns about an alleged US attempt to link the health funding to access to critical minerals.
African countries have raised concerns over US requests for broad medical data as a condition for receiving health funding. Chilengi said Zambia’s data-sharing obligations under the agreement would be limited to information needed to monitor and evaluate US-funded health programmes.
He said a clause requiring Zambia to provide patient medical specimens to the United States upon request had been removed from the agreement. Chilengi also said the health pact contains no reference to critical minerals. “There is no mention of critical minerals” in the health pact, he said.
The minister added that he was not aware of a separate critical minerals agreement being negotiated between Zambia and the United States. The agreement forms part of a broader shift in US foreign aid policy under President Donald Trump. The approach seeks to move poorer countries towards greater self-reliance.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have signed similar US health agreements. However, Ghana and Zimbabwe rejected proposed deals after raising concerns over medical data-sharing requirements. Zambia’s agreement will provide funding for health programmes while setting out limits on the information shared with the United States.
