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.
- Ghana may have declined a proposed healthcare agreement with the US, citing concerns over potential data breaches and sensitive health data sharing.
- This follows similar decisions by Zambia and Zimbabwe, which also rejected US health deals due to sovereignty and national interest issues.
- The US-proposed deals involved significant funding aimed at combatting diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria, and improving epidemic preparedness.
- Negotiations between Ghana and the US, which began in November for a $109 million health deal, ended without agreement due to increasing pressure and requirements for data access.
In February, Zambia halted a proposed health funding agreement worth more than $1 billion from the United States, citing concerns that certain clauses in the draft do not fit with the country’s national interests.
The proposed deal, designed to oversee more than $1 billion in United States funding across five years, aimed to combat HIV/AIDS and malaria, enhance maternal and child health services, and bolster epidemic preparedness.
Prior to Zambia’s decision, Zimbabwe had also withdrawn from discussions on a $350 million U.S. health funding agreement, citing unacceptable sovereignty concerns.
The Southern African country was specifically opposed to clauses requiring long-term access to national health data, claiming that such access could reveal sensitive population-level information.
Very recently, Ghana cited similar concerns, pertaining to a U.S. health deal, a source familiar with the development told Reuters.
Ghana’s current stance on the US’s health deal
According to the source, the current administration of the West African country scoffed at the idea of the United States requiring a sharing of sensitive health data.
“We continue to look for ways to strengthen the bilateral partnership between our two countries,” a spokesperson said.
The source also told Reuters that Ghana and America began negotiating in November of last year, for a $109 health deal spread over five years.
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The amount Ghana would have had to pay was uncertain. At first, the conversations and transactions were rather routine, but as time went on, there was a lot more pressure, particularly toward the end.
The deadline for finalizing negotiations was subsequently set by the U.S. for April 24.
However, Ghana came to the conclusion that it could not accept what the U.S. was suggesting.
According to government foreign aid records, the United States disbursed $219 million in foreign aid to Ghana for 2024, prior to when Donald Trump resumed office in 2025, and cut off USAID across the globe.
As of March, around 17 African countries, including Nigeria, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Rwanda, amongst others, had accepted the U.S.’s new health deals.
