Zambia signs controversial $1.5bn US deal

Zambia's Government has signed an agreement allowing it to receive $1.5bn in health funding from the US after resolving concerns over Washington's request for medical data, reports Polity. Earlier this year, negotiations stalled over Zambia's concerns over data privacy and a US attempt to tie the funding to access to critical minerals. Health Minister Roma Chilengi said the agreement would see the US provide $1.5bn in health funding over five years, while Zambia would spend $2.1bn. The US is a major funder of HIV/AIDS, malaria and public health programmes in the Southern African copper-producing nation. Zambia and other African nations have had reservations over requests that they share sweeping medical data with the US as a condition to receive funds. Chilengi said data sharing would be limited to providing information required to monitor and evaluate US-funded health programmes. A clause had been removed that would have required Zambia to share patient medical specimens with the US if requested. On whether the US funding was conditional on mining access, he said ‘there is no mention of critical minerals’ in the health pact. Chilengi said he was also not aware of a separate critical minerals agreement being negotiated with the US. African countries including Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have signed similar US health pacts, which are part of the Trump administration's changed approach to foreign aid under which poorer countries are meant to transition from aid to self-reliance. Ghana and Zimbabwe rejected deals over data-sharing demands.

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