{
  "id": 9773374,
  "title": "Zambia is close to resolving $1.5B US health data dispute - minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/zambia-is-close-to-resolving-1-5b-us-health-data-dispute-minister",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T13:16:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Semafor",
    "slug": "semafor",
    "url": "https://www.semafor.com/article/09/25/2026/zambia-eyes-end-to-us-health-data-dispute"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Zambia is nearing a resolution of a lengthy dispute with the United States over a proposed health agreement, according to the nation's foreign minister, Mulambo Haimbe. Haimbe informed Semafor that Washington had consented to eliminate contentious data-sharing clauses in the agreement. The U.S. State Department has not officially acknowledged this alteration. Health agreements between the U.S. and African nations typically entail sharing data on pathogens that could trigger epidemics within the countries, a condition for receiving funding. Haimbe disclosed that the two parties have also consented to eliminate a contentious connection between the health agreement and a separate critical-minerals deal, another point of contention that Zambia had previously raised publicly earlier this year. Haimbe asserted that the disputed data provisions have been wholly replaced, and the coupling of the critical minerals agreement with health assistance has been abandoned. The revised agreement is now in a stage where both sides can sign it, as revealed by Haimbe, following a meeting with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Chris Kulukundis in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Zambia stated in a statement that the two nations reaffirmed their strategic partnership and agreed to strengthen cooperation in health, investment, and critical minerals, though they did not detail the disputed provisions or confirm their removal. The proposed agreement would grant U.S. health assistance to Zambia over a five-year period for an estimated $1.5 billion grant, with the U.S. contributing just over $1 billion.",
  "summary": "Zambia’s foreign minister Mulambo Haimbe told Semafor that Washington had agreed to remove contentious data-sharing provisions.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}