LONDON, United Kingdom – Zambia has pushed back on part of a deal worth more than $1 billion in global health aid from the United States because it does not align with the country’s interests, the government said on Wednesday, as health advocates warned the deal links the money to mining access and has data-sharing risks.
The deal governs more than $1 billion of U.S. funding to tackle conditions like HIV and malaria, as well as improve disease outbreak preparedness and maternal and child health, over the next five years. It also requires around $340 million in co-financing from the Zambian government over the same period, according to a draft of the agreement reviewed by Reuters.
The deal was due to be signed in November, but had been delayed after revised drafts included a problematic section, a Zambian ministry of health spokesperson said on Wednesday.
That section “did not align with the position and interests of the government of Zambia… We have therefore requested further revisions to the content in question,” the spokesperson said, declining to elaborate on what the content covered.
In December, the U.S. said that it had committed, with Zambia, to “a plan that aims to unlock a substantial grant package of U.S. support in exchange for collaboration in the mining sector and clear business sector reforms.”
Zambia is Africa’s second-largest copper producer after the Democratic Republic of Congo, and also has cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite, lithium and rare-earth elements.
In response to questions, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters by email earlier this month that the country would not disclose the details of ongoing diplomatic negotiations.
“Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio has consistently been clear that foreign assistance is not charity; it is designed to further the national interests of the United States,” they added.
The spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the status of the deal on Wednesday.
Zambia said the agreement was focused on health.
“It has no relation whatsoever to minerals, mining, or any natural resources,” the spokesperson added, saying they remained open to constructive engagement, “but only within terms that are clear, mutually agreed upon, and fully aligned with Zambia’s national interests.”
However, the draft agreement reviewed by Reuters outlines how the deal will be terminated and funding discontinued if Zambia and the U.S. fail to agree by April 1 on a “bilateral compact” proposed by Rubio to Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on November 17, 2025. Three sources said that compact was tied to mining collaboration.
Health advocates in both countries said the data-sharing agreement in the draft, which was due to last for 10 years, was also problematic, and raised concerns over the secrecy surrounding the negotiations. – Reuters
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