Zimbabwe Abandons $367M US Health Deal Over Data Privacy Concerns

Zimbabwe has withdrawn from negotiations for a massive $367 million health partnership with the United States, citing concerns about sharing sensitive medical data. The African nation's government called the arrangement unfair, saying they would have to provide biological resources and health information without guaranteed access to any resulting medical breakthroughs.

Zimbabwe has walked away from negotiations for a substantial $367 million health partnership with the United States, expressing alarm over requirements to share confidential medical information in exchange for American financial assistance. A government official described the proposed deal as fundamentally unfair on Wednesday.

“At its core, the arrangement was asymmetrical. Zimbabwe was being asked to share its biological resources and data over an extended period, with no corresponding guarantee of access to any medical innovations — such as vaccines, diagnostics, or treatments — that might result from that shared data,” government spokesperson Nick Mangwana said in a statement.

According to Mangwana, the United States was unwilling to provide reciprocal access to its own disease surveillance information.

The American embassy in Harare confirmed that Washington will now begin terminating its health programs in the southern African nation.

The proposed five-year bilateral health Memorandum of Understanding would have allocated $367 million to Zimbabwe for programs addressing HIV/AIDS care and prevention, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health services, and emergency disease response capabilities.

“We will now turn to the difficult and regrettable task of winding down our health assistance in Zimbabwe,” U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Pamela Tremont said.

The Zimbabwean official criticized the American proposal for imposing excessive conditions on the financial aid.

“When financial assistance is contingent upon concessions that touch upon national security, data sovereignty, or access to strategic resources, it fundamentally alters the nature of the relationship from one of partnership to one of unequal exchange. This we cannot accept.”

Mangwana declined to identify the specific strategic resources referenced in his statement.

On the same day, Zimbabwe, which produces valuable minerals including gold, platinum and lithium, announced an immediate halt to all exports of unprocessed minerals and lithium concentrates.

This development follows a similar situation in Kenya, where a court halted a health funding agreement exceeding $1.6 billion between that government and the United States late last year. The suspension came after a consumer advocacy organization filed legal challenges over potential risks to citizens’ medical data privacy.

“This growing continental reflection should not be misconstrued as anti-American sentiment,” Mangwana said. “On the contrary, it is a sign of Africa’s maturation as a geopolitical actor, one that seeks partnerships based on equality rather than patronage.”