Zambia’s government said on 6 October that it will sign a five-year health agreement with the United States worth $1.5 billion in US funding, after clauses requiring the sharing of medical specimens and health data were removed. Health Minister Roma Chilengi said US funding will fall each year while Zambia raises its own health spending, for a total of $3.6 billion from both governments; signing is set for 8 October. The deal falls under Washington’s America First Global Health Strategy, which replaces grants from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) with bilateral agreements. Zimbabwe halted talks on a similar deal over control of health data, so Zambia’s revised terms could become a reference for other African governments.
Sources
- Lusaka Times: https://www.lusakatimes.com/2026/10/06/zambia-ready-to-sign-us1-5-billion-us-health-deal-after-specimen-sharing-clause-is-dropped/
- Open Zambia: https://www.openzambia.com/politics/2026/10/6/zambia-to-sign-us15-billion-health-agreement-with-the-united-states-on-thursday
- bne IntelliNews: https://www.intellinews.com/zambia-to-sign-revised-1-5bn-us-health-agreement-after-data-sharing-changes-473837/
- The Africa Report: https://www.theafricareport.com/432545/zambia-secures-1-5bn-us-health-package-after-stripping-out-trumps-mineral-demands/