Zambia has walked away from talks over more than $1-billion in proposed US health assistance after rejecting clauses that would tie the funding to privileged access to its mineral sector and to long-term health data sharing. Mulambo Haimbe, Zambia's foreign minister, said Lusaka objects to making health financing conditional on a separate critical minerals agreement and warned that some data terms would violate citizens' right to privacy. A leaked five-year draft of the health memorandum proposed financing dependent on recruiting tens of thousands of health workers and meeting performance targets.
Zambia's government publicly rejected a plan to couple US health financing with privileged access to the country's mineral sector. Mulambo Haimbe, Zambia's foreign minister, said the two agreements must be treated separately. He said the proposed linkage would force Lusaka to accept terms on minerals that it finds unacceptable.
Haimbe added that Washington had offered support under a proposed health agreement. He also said some terms on data sharing would violate Zambians' right to privacy. Haimbe didn't specify which data the United States was seeking.
What was on the table
A leaked draft of a five-year memorandum of understanding describes a package of health financing worth more than $1-billion from Washington. The draft said Zambia would have to recruit tens of thousands of new health workers and put in an extra $400-million into health services over five years. It also linked disbursement to performance targets and allowed the US to terminate the deal if Zambia fell short.
Civil society groups have flagged clauses in the draft that would grant Washington access to health data for 10 years. They say that period is longer than what other partner countries have agreed. Civil society leaders framed concerns about the relative scale of the proposed financing and the conditions attached.
Who is pushing back
Civil society leaders in Zambia have warned that conditional health financing could put programmes at risk. Julius Kachidza, chair of the Civil Society Self-coordinating Mechanism, said he supports aims such as improved services and increased domestic financing. But he warned that if the country missed targets, the entire health system could be jeopardised.
He emphasised that people living with HIV and others reliant on sustained programmes could be the first casualties.
Advocates outside government have also criticised the package. Asia Russell, director of the HIV advocacy organisation Health Gap, called the terms far worse than other deals and argued that conditioning health programmes on mining access risks exploiting Zambia's mineral wealth. She framed the linkage as both immoral and dangerous for public health delivery.
Regional precedent has mattered in Lusaka. Some African governments have already pushed back on the Trump administration's bilateral health memorandums. Haimbe cited other countries' reactions while explaining Zambia's stance. Negotiations in neighbouring states have stalled or been halted over similar data-sharing concerns.
Washington's stance and diplomatic tone
The US State Department has said it won't disclose negotiation details. But diplomatic exchanges have become public. Outgoing US ambassador Michael Gonzales publicly criticised Zambia for what he described as a lack of engagement on the health offer. Haimbe's statement denied that Lusaka had failed to engage and stressed the government's consistent position that the agreements be judged on their separate merits.
The Zambian government also said it balked at language in a minerals agreement that would give US companies preferential treatment. Haimbe said Lusaka was reluctant to accept terms that insist on such preferential access.
Domestic and regional impacts
Zambia faces a narrow set of choices. The proposed health financing would increase resources for clinics and staff. But officials say the country must weigh the benefits of additional funding against potential costs to sovereignty and privacy.
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Mulambo Haimbe said the agreements must be considered separately and should be judged on their own merits.
This article was created with AI assistance.
