African nations resist US health aid over data, strategic concerns

Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia are among the nations that have declined the offers. Ghana rejected a proposed $109 million health deal in April over data protection concerns, specifically regarding the scope of data required and the lack of reciprocal measures for Ghanaian data sovereignty. Zimbabwe also cited concerns about requests for medical data, particularly its potential sharing with US pharmaceutical companies without guarantees of drug or vaccine availability for its people.

Zambia's Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe criticized an American effort to link health funding to US economic interests, specifically access to critical minerals, which Zambia wanted to negotiate separately. The new US global health strategy, which follows the closure of USAID, requires recipient governments to increase their own health spending and aims to build self-reliant systems. While the US contributes significantly, recipient nations are also expected to pledge funds, as seen in Kenya's $2.5 billion deal where the US contributes $1.6 billion and Kenya pledges $850 million over five years.

This approach shifts from traditional donor-NGO relationships to direct agreements with individual governments, tied to US strategic and commercial interests. The US withdrew from the World Health Organization earlier this year