US, Zambia sign $2.49B health financing pact after removing data and specimen-sharing terms

government and Zambia signed a health financing deal on Thursday after agreeing to remove specimen-sharing and patient-data clauses that had stalled the conclusion of the pact. The Zambian government also said that the deal does not contain any clauses linked to the country’s abundant mineral resources, which will be negotiated separately. Zambia is Africa’s second-largest copper producer and there were concerns that the U.S.

would try linking its health pact with the country to its natural minerals. State Department said the deal is worth a total of $2.49 billion, with the U.S. contributing $1.52 billion and Zambia investing $975 million into its health system over the next five years.

The amount is somewhat less than the $3.6 billion mooted by Zambian officials earlier this week. The deal is part of the Trump administration’s America First Global Health Strategy after it dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, once the world’s largest humanitarian donor.

The new agreements aim to commit African nations to gradually increase spending on health services while the U.S. gradually phases out its assistance. Embassy in Lusaka, Mich Coker, said the partnership was also about shared security and prosperity.

“Infectious diseases know no borders. A strong Zambian health system serves as a first line of defense for both our nations and for the broader region. By helping Zambia detect and respond to outbreaks quickly, we are protecting Americans as well as Zambians,” he said.

Zambian Minister of Health Roma Chilengi said the agreement would support the recruitment of 40,000 healthcare workers over the next five years, and that the deal did not contain any clauses that would compromise Zambia’s security through data sharing. “The Government will not be sharing any specimens with the United States because we removed all those aspects that raised concerns,” he said. Chilengi also dismissed suggestions that the deal was tied to the country’s mineral wealth, particularly critical minerals.