Zimbabwe has formally rejected a proposed $367 million (Sh47 billion) bilateral health funding agreement with the United States, citing concerns over sovereignty and access to sensitive biological data.
The decision, which emerged after a leaked government memo, shows that President Emmerson Mnangagwa viewed the five-year agreement as “lopsided.” The deal would have provided funding for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, and disease outbreak preparedness.
In a detailed statement, government spokesperson Nick Mangwana described the proposed memorandum of understanding as an “unequal exchange.”
“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 treatment that might result from that shared data,” Mangwana said.
He further argued that the United States was not offering reciprocal access to its own epidemiological data, raising concerns about national security, data sovereignty, and strategic resources. “In essence, our nation would provide the raw materials for scientific discovery without any assurance that the end products would be accessible to our people should a future health crisis emerge,” he added.
The US embassy in Harare confirmed that Washington would now wind down its health assistance to Zimbabwe. US Ambassador Pamela Tremont described the move as regrettable.
“We will now turn to the difficult and regrettable task of winding down our health assistance in Zimbabwe,” Tremont said. She noted that the United States has provided more than $1.9 billion in health funding to Zimbabwe over the past two decades and argued the proposed deal would have delivered “extraordinary benefits” to the 1.2 million Zimbabweans currently receiving HIV treatment under US-supported programmes.
The fallout comes amid broader shifts in US foreign policy under President Donald Trump, who has restructured foreign aid, reduced multilateral engagements, and withdrawn from institutions such as the World Health Organization in favor of bilateral agreements.
Zimbabwean health professionals have expressed concern over the potential impact. The Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians called for continued negotiations, noting that much of the country’s HIV response relies on external financing. “Where technical issues exist… these can often be addressed through negotiated safeguards,” the body said.
However, Harare insists its position should not be seen as anti-American. “This growing continental reflection should not be misconstrued as anti-American sentiment,” Mangwana said. “We welcome continued dialogue… in a manner that respects the sovereignty and dignity of both nations.”
As talks collapse, the future of critical health programmes now hangs in the balance.
