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Ghana Rejects U.S. “Global Health Strategy Deal”
Ghana has rejected the bilateral healthcare deal with the United States, the latest stumbling block to the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul foreign aide.
Ghana has become the latest African country to walk away from the US government’s “America First Global Health Strategy” over data privacy concerns. The West African country follows on the heels of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Kenya, who have either rejected or suspended negotiations on this “health deal” for similar reasons.
So far, at least 20 African countries have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the US under this “Global Health Strategy”. On paper, these MoUs promise billions of dollars for combating deadly diseases and boosting health sectors. But there’s a catch: these countries are expected to expand their data-sharing commitments to the U.S., including disease surveillance and public health reporting.
Fortunately, some African countries see this devil’s bargain for what it is.
Zambia paused negotiations with the U.S. over concerns about the deal also entailing the U.S. government gaining access to its copper and cobalt reserves. Zimbabwe walked away from talks altogether, objecting to clauses that required rapid sharing of pathogen samples and health data without clear guarantees that Zimbabweans would benefit from this data sharing in any way, shape or form. In Kenya, a High Court stepped in – in defiance of the Western-aligned Kenyan government – and suspended the deal’s implementation while it reviewed how citizens’ health data would be collected, stored, and protected.
As more African countries with apparently less concern for the sovereignty of their citizens sign on, the conversation across the continent is getting louder.
Yes, funding is urgently needed to boost Africa’s health sectors. But at what cost?
And has history not taught the people of Africa enough lessons about the United States?
🗣 Ghana has become the latest African country to reject the United States government’s “America First Global Health Strategy”, citing data privacy concerns.
🗣 Negotiations on the healthcare deal, which would see the United State government provide $109 million in “healthcare assistance” to Ghana over the next 5 years, broke down after Ghana objected to sharing personal and sensitive medical data of their citizens with the United States government.
🗣 In February 2026, Zimbabwe and Zambia also walked away from this same “healthcare deal” for the same particular reasons.
🗣 In Kenya, a high court upheld its December 2025 suspension of the government’s implementation of this same “healthcare deal.”
🗣 So far, the United States has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with at least 20 African countries under its “America First Global Health Strategy.”
🗣Ghana latest move speaks to a wider Continental trend, where many African countries are slowly beginning to wake-up to the importance of protecting their sovereignty from western domination.
africa.businessinsider.com
Ghana may have just joined the short list of African countries to reject a US health deal
Aligning with the positions of Zambia and Zimbabwe in Southern Africa, Ghana has formally declined a proposed healthcare agreement with the United States, citing significant concerns regarding potential data breaches
Percy, Kwame and 3 others2 Comments-
This news is really someway, I’m happy about it for Ghana but sad to have heard that Burkina Faso accepted it.
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