Zambia will sign $3.6 billion health plan with US that won't require
sharing of patient data
[October 07, 2026]
By JACOB ZIMBA and GERALD IMRAY
LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambia will sign a revised health agreement with
the United States that will not include contentious clauses committing
the African nation to share patient health data and specimens with the
U.S. government.
The five-year deal is worth $3.6 billion in total, combined funding from
both countries for the African nation’s health services, Zambian
Minister of Health Roma Chilengi told reporters Tuesday.
He didn't say how much the U.S. would commit. However, he told Zambian
state broadcaster ZNBC on Monday the U.S. would provide $1.5 billion
over five years.
The U.S. has signed new bilateral health agreements with around two
dozen African nations since last year, but some have pushed back on
requirements to provide patient data.
The African deals follow USAID cut
The Trump administration is pursuing bilateral agreements with African
nations under U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach
after dismantling 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.
However, the clauses that commit African countries to hand over health
data and specimens to the U.S. government on request have been some of
the most controversial.
“I want to announce here that the (agreement) as it stands now ... has
no reference to any specimen sharing conditions,” said Zambia's Chilengi,
adding that clauses committing Zambia to share individual health data
had also been “completely removed.”
“Zambia will not be obliged to share any specimen,” he said. He called
the U.S. a critical partner and said Zambia was grateful for the
assistance.
The agreement will be signed on Thursday, Chilengi said.
The data sharing clauses have been controversial
The U.S. has already signed health data and specimen-sharing agreements
with at least nine African nations, committing them to send data and
specimens within five days of a request, according to agreements
published by the U.S. State Department.
The U.S. says it can then give the health data and specimens to up to 10
American “non-government entities” to develop diagnostics and medical
treatments. The entities are not specified.
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Mulambo Hamakuni Haimbe, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Zambia,
speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General
Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
(AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
 The agreements say the information
will help it track and prepare for new and emerging infectious
diseases that have “epidemic or pandemic potential.” But they do not
guarantee that the African nation that provided the data would
benefit from any medical treatments developed.
They would only receive treatments developed “subject to the
availability of funds” and “behind the U.S. government's domestic
need,” according to the agreements. The African nation would also
have to pay for them.
Some countries have rejected the US terms
In February, Zambia's neighbor, Zimbabwe, rejected a U.S. health
deal partially over the data and specimen-sharing requirements.
“In essence, our nation would provide the raw materials for
scientific discovery without any assurance that the end products
would be accessible to our people should a future health crisis
emerge,” Zimbabwe government spokesperson Nick Mangwana said at the
time.
The U.S. announced it ended all health assistance to Zimbabwe last
month.
Namibia, another southern African nation, also rejected some of
these clauses, according to local media reports. The U.S. announced
it would phase out funding for Namibia's HIV treatment and
prevention program last month, though neither country publicly tied
the decision to the disagreement over health data.
Ghana has also issued a similar rejection.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama said last month while in New
York for the United Nations General Assembly that the U.S. wanted
information about endemic diseases and the country’s medical
records, but Ghana would have no right to inspect medications or
medical products brought into the country.
Mahama said Ghana's Cabinet inspected the proposal and it was
“thrown out in record time.”
___
Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.
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