Lusaka, Zambia — Zambia has signed a five-year, $2.49 billion health financing agreement with the United States after resolving disputes over patient data privacy and separating health assistance from negotiations over the country’s mineral resources.
The agreement, signed in Lusaka on Thursday, commits the US government to providing $1.52 billion in health assistance between 2026 and 2030. Zambia will contribute a further $975 million towards strengthening its healthcare system over the same period.
The funding will support HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria programs, maternal and child healthcare, disease surveillance, and the recruitment of frontline health workers.
Zambia secures changes to patient data-sharing provisions
The agreement follows months of negotiations over an earlier draft that raised concerns about the protection of sensitive medical information and biological specimens.
Health Minister Roma Chilengi said provisions requiring Zambia to share individual patient records and biological samples with the United States had been removed from the final agreement.
Under the revised terms, data-sharing will be restricted to information necessary for monitoring and evaluating programs funded by Washington.
The changes address concerns about patient confidentiality and the handling of medical information under the bilateral health partnership.
US health funding separated from Zambia minerals talks
The two governments also agreed to keep the health financing arrangement separate from negotiations over access to Zambia’s critical mineral resources.
The issue had previously complicated discussions, amid concerns about linking American health assistance to mineral cooperation.
Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe confirmed that negotiations on a separate critical minerals framework would continue independently of the health agreement.
The arrangement allows both countries to pursue healthcare cooperation while continuing discussions on mineral resources through a separate process.
US expands bilateral health agreements across Africa
Zambia’s agreement is part of Washington’s shift towards direct bilateral health partnerships with African governments following the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Several African countries have signed similar agreements involving US financial commitments and varying levels of domestic investment.
Kenya has secured $1.6 billion in US health funding over five years, while Nigeria’s agreement is valued at $2.1 billion. Uganda has signed a $1.7 billion deal, Mozambique $1.8 billion, Tanzania $1.3 billion and Ethiopia $1 billion.
Other agreements include $900 million for the Democratic Republic of Congo, $792 million for Malawi, $487 million for Côte d’Ivoire and $157.8 million for Rwanda.
The partnerships require participating governments to contribute towards their healthcare systems as Washington moves towards arrangements involving greater domestic financial commitments.
For Zambia, the new agreement provides a five-year funding framework for major disease programs and health services while preserving separate negotiations on medical data protection and critical minerals.
