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Harare, Zimbabwe — <\/span>HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) – zambia<\/a> The United States is accusing the United States of striking a $2 billion deal to deliver critical health aid to southern African nations rich mineral wealth<\/a>and described the outgoing US ambassador’s corruption allegations as “mischievous” and “undiplomatic”.<\/p>\n Comments by Zambia’s foreign affairs minister, Mulambo Hambe, on Monday laid bare the rising tensions over President Donald Trump. “America First” strategy<\/a>Which is reshaping aid given to Africa in transactional agreements.<\/p>\n Some African leaders and health experts have criticized the new US stance and the Trump administration’s demand for sensitive health data in exchange for needed support for health systems stressed by ending foreign aid. Some say in return they will not get access to health innovations like vaccines.<\/p>\n America also wants to challenge China Major players in Zambia<\/a> and most of Africa, whose minerals are critical to the green energy transition, including inputs for solar panels, electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems.<\/p>\n In a statement, Hambe described allegations of Zambian corruption and negotiation inertia by outgoing US Ambassador Michael Gonzales as “mischievous” and “extremely regrettable, undiplomatic and inconsistent with the spirit of mutual respect”.<\/p>\n Hambey also accused the US of tying access to critical minerals to the conclusion of the health agreement, which Gonzales previously dismissed as a “dangerous accusation” that he called “disgusting” and “absolutely and categorically false.”<\/p>\n Negotiations continued for months to finalize the deal, one of the dozen<\/a> The Trump administration is leading the effort in some of the world’s most aid-dependent countries.<\/p>\n In late April Gonzales said that Zambia’s leaders “have abdicated their responsibilities, letting the United States pay for health care while officials funneled government money into their own pockets.” He said Zambian officials have “ignored” US efforts to broker a new deal.<\/p>\n But Hambe said talks were stalled over “unacceptable” data-sharing demands “infringing on our citizens’ right to privacy” and “US companies’ insistence on preferential treatment over Zambia’s critical minerals”.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst and foremost, Zambia believes that Zambians should have the right to have a say in how its vital minerals are used, and secondly, that no strategic partner should be treated preferentially over others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The US Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The US approach replaces decades of engagement The now defunct United States Agency for International Development<\/a> and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR<\/a>.<\/p>\n In their place, US officials are negotiating country-by-country agreements that recast aid as a transaction, attaching money to conditions including commercial provisions, domestic financing commitments, disease surveillance, pathogen sharing and even religion.<\/p>\n Since late last year, the US has signed agreements with about 30 countries, many of them in Africa. Washington says the approach is meant to reduce donor dependence, promote local ownership and protect US interests against an aggressive China, which dominates trade in Africa but provides little aid.<\/p>\n There has been a scuffle.<\/p>\n Ghana said last week that it had done so rejected a proposed deal<\/a> On provisions providing broad access to sensitive health data without safeguards. zimbabwe went away<\/a> From a $367 million package on similar concerns. in kenya, $2.5 billion agreement<\/a> Signed in December, it has been blocked after a court challenge arguing that it violates data protection laws.<\/p>\n In Lesotho, draft US proposals called for 25 years of access to health data and biological samples before local authorities could secure a shorter five-year deal.<\/p>\n Critics say demands for data-sharing are skewed toward American interests and warn that information-sharing will largely go in only one direction: toward Washington.<\/p>\n The new agreements aim to ensure the flow of disease surveillance data and biological samples, but after the US, through bilateral channels. Withdrawn from the World Health Organization<\/a> In January, Asia Russell, executive director of the advocacy group Health GAP, said.<\/p>\n Countries currently report disease outbreaks primarily through WHO, which coordinates responses and is negotiating new frameworks on pathogen-sharing and equitable access to vaccines.<\/p>\n The US, now out of those talks, is pursuing direct access instead.<\/p>\n “They (America) want to understand what’s really going on,” said Jane Cates, senior vice president of KFF, a Washington-based nonprofit. “But they’re trying to do it in a very different way.”<\/p>\n Health advocates say this risks creating a parallel global health system. In Zimbabwe, a government spokesperson in February said the government ended negotiations because the US was not “reasonably guaranteeing access to any medical innovations \u2013 such as vaccines, diagnostics, or treatments \u2013 that may result from that shared data.”<\/p>\n \u201cThis raises serious concerns about who benefits,\u201d said Attila Kisala of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre.<\/p>\n Advocates point to the harsh experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, when African countries contributed data and samples but largely contributed Last in line for vaccines<\/a>.<\/p>\n The agreements with the US have been criticized for being negotiated behind closed doors and limited public scrutiny.<\/p>\n “Privacy is at the heart of this. It jeopardizes accountability for outcomes,” said Health GAP’s Russell. “It’s impossible to properly evaluate these deals without seeing the full terms. The thing that made PEPFAR successful was transparency. Now that’s been removed.”<\/p>\n The deals also come with tight financial conditions. Many include less funding than previous levels of U.S. aid, while countries are required to increase domestic health spending, with aid at risk if targets are not met.<\/p>\n “These will be very heavy lifts,” KFF’s Cates said. “Countries are already under stress.”<\/p>\n Critics say some agreements also advance US commercial and political interests, blurring the line between aid and transactional diplomacy.<\/p>\n “When health becomes a bargain, everyone becomes less safe,” Russell warned.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Keketso Phakela in Maseru, Lesotho contributed to this report.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n For more on Africa and development: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/africa-palse<\/a><\/p>\n The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content. find api standards<\/a> A list of philanthropies to work with, supporters and funded coverage areas ap.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Harare, Zimbabwe — HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) – zambia The United States is accusing the United States of striking a $2 billion deal to deliver critical health aid to southern African nations rich mineral wealthand described the outgoing US ambassador’s corruption allegations as “mischievous” and “undiplomatic”. 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