Zambia signs $1.5 billion US health deal after data clauses removed

Zambia and the United States have signed a five-year health financing agreement valued at $1.5 billion, following the removal of provisions concerning the sharing of patient data and biological specimens with Washington.

The agreement is expected to bring combined funding from Zambia and the United States to a reported $3.6 billion for health services in the country. The source does not specify how the total funding will be divided between the two governments.

Data-sharing concerns addressed

Negotiations had previously stalled over Zambia’s concerns about data privacy. The talks also faced disagreement over an effort by the United States to link health financing to access to Zambia’s critical mineral resources.

Roma Chilengi, Zambia’s health minister, said data sharing under the signed agreement would be restricted to information needed to monitor and evaluate programmes funded by the United States.

The United States has said its health arrangements with African countries could allow health data and specimens to be provided to as many as 10 American non-government entities for the development of diagnostic tools and medical treatments. The scope of those provisions was a major concern in negotiations with Zambia.

Mineral talks to remain separate

The Zambian government said the health agreement does not include a deal granting access to the country’s mineral resources. It said discussions over minerals would take place separately.

The clarification follows earlier concerns that health funding could be tied to access to critical minerals. Zambia’s government has therefore presented the financing agreement as separate from any future mineral-resource negotiations.

Part of wider US policy shift

The agreement comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump pursues bilateral arrangements with African governments following the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development.

The arrangements are intended to encourage African countries to gradually increase their own spending on health services as the United States phases out its assistance over time.

Ghana and Zimbabwe rejected agreements because of data-sharing demands, while at least nine other African countries accepted the condition, according to the source.

In 2025, Washington said it was withdrawing $50 million in annual aid to Zambia’s health sector. Washington attributed the decision to what it described as “systemic theft” of donated medicines and medical supplies.

The new agreement provides a framework for five years of health financing, but the available information does not include the full text of the signed document or independently establish the precise scope of all its data provisions.