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Zambia signs five-year US health financing agreement following data-sharing disputes
Overview
Zambia has signed a five-year health financing agreement with the United States worth approximately $1.5bn in US funding, successfully resolving earlier disputes regarding data privacy, biological specimens, and mineral rights. The revised memorandum of understanding excludes individual patient records and biological specimen transfers, limiting data exchange strictly to monitoring and evaluating funded programmes.
Key points
- Zambia and the US signed a five-year health financing memorandum of understanding in Lusaka.
- The US will provide about $1.5bn, alongside financial contributions from Zambia, totalling roughly $3.6bn across 2026 to 2030.
- Initial leaked drafts faced intense backlash from civil society groups and officials over concerns regarding privacy, pathogen information, and mineral access.
- Health Minister Roma Chilengi confirmed that clauses requiring the sharing of biological specimens and individual patient records were removed.
- Data exchange is now restricted solely to information required for monitoring and evaluating programmes funded under the agreement.
- The new deal follows the closure of USAID by US President Donald Trump, reflecting a shift toward shared responsibility where partner governments take on more costs.