Zambia agrees health deal with US after resolving dispute
Africa’s second largest copper producer got better terms than its neighbors, and still has a minerals deal to settle with Washington.
Zambia has reached a $1.5 billion health financing agreement with the United States, after separating it from a complex minerals deal still under negotiation. The health pact faced challenges due to concerns over data privacy, but Zambia successfully resisted key provisions and negotiated changes. The move aligns with the Trump administration's America First Global Health Strategy, which has been adopted by several African nations.
Zambia's Foreign Minister, Mulambo Haimbe, stated that the two Memorandums of Understanding "needed to be decoupled," and the deal now stands without contentious clauses. In return for the funding, Zambia will commit $975 million in "new funding," while the US will contribute $1.5 billion. However, the deal now lacks provisions for biological specimen sharing and patient data, which were part of the original agreement.
Zambia joins 35 other countries in signing the strategy, but some, like Kenya and Zimbabwe, have seen their health services impacted negatively due to the US's reduced funding and stringent requirements.
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