Zambia to secure $1.5 billion US health support after data-sharing differences are resolved

Zambia is set to sign a new health funding agreement with the United States worth $1.5 billion over five years after resolving concerns over Washington’s demands for access to medical data, the country’s health minister said.

• Zambia will sign a $1.5 billion, five-year health funding agreement with the United States after resolving disputes over data sharing.
• The new pact targets HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and boosts Zambia’s disease outbreak preparedness.
• Zambia paused negotiations earlier this year over U.S. demands for broad access to health data and concerns of possible links to Zambia’s mineral resources.
• The final deal limits U.S. data access strictly to program monitoring and removes a clause about sharing patient medical specimens.

Zambia is set to sign a new health funding agreement with the United States worth $1.5 billion over five years after resolving concerns over Washington’s demands for access to medical data, the country’s health minister said.

The agreement will support HIV/AIDS and malaria programmes, maternal and child health services and efforts to strengthen Zambia’s preparedness for disease outbreaks. Under the pact, the US will provide $1.5 billion, while Zambia will contribute $2.1 billion towards health programmes over the five years.

Data-sharing concerns delayed the deal

Zambia had previously paused negotiations over the agreement in February after raising concerns about data privacy and provisions that appeared to require broader access to health information. The government also faced questions over whether the proposed US health support was connected to negotiations around Zambia’s critical mineral resources.

Zambia is one of Africa’s major copper producers and has become increasingly important to global efforts to secure supplies of critical minerals needed for industries including energy and technology.

Health Minister Elijah Muchima said the final agreement would limit data-sharing to information needed to monitor and evaluate programmes funded by the US, Reuters reported. A provision requiring Zambia to provide patient medical specimens to the US upon request has also been removed.

The minister said there was no reference to critical minerals in the health agreement and that he was not aware of a separate critical minerals agreement being negotiated with Washington.

The US remains a major funder of health programmes in Zambia, particularly those focused on HIV/AIDS, malaria and public health.

The agreement follows similar health pacts signed between the US and other African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, under a broader shift in Washington’s foreign aid policy towards helping recipient countries become more self-reliant.

Ghana and Zimbabwe, however, rejected proposed agreements after raising concerns over data-sharing requirements.