Zambia rejects $1 billion US health deal over secret mining demands
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa gesture at a business meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 14, 2025.
Zambia has pushed back on part of a deal worth more than $1 billion (Sh129 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 (Sh129 billion) of US 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 (Sh44 billion) in co-financing from the Zambian government over the same period, according to a draft of the agreement reviewed by Reuters.
