Zambia and US Sign Five-Year Health MOU and Data Sharing Agreement

Zambia and the United States have signed a five-year, USD 2.49 billion Health Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a Data Sharing Agreement to strengthen the country's health system and improve how health data is managed.

Under the 2026–2030 MOU, the United States, working with Congress, will provide more than USD 1.5 billion towards Zambia's priority health programmes. Zambia will increase its own health spending by USD 975 million over the same period.

Health Minister Professor Roma Chilengi said the agreement will support the recruitment of 40,000 health workers: 15,000 frontline staff and 25,000 community health workers.

US Chargé d'Affaires Mich Coker described the deal as a move away from the traditional donor-recipient model. He said it is a partnership built on Zambian leadership, ownership and shared accountability. It will help Zambia manage its own procurement of essential medicines, bring frontline health workers into the civil service, and expand the digital systems used to detect and respond to health threats.

Finance and National Planning Minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane welcomed the resolution of the issues that had delayed the signing. He noted the long history of US support for Zambia's health sector.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe, SC, confirmed there is no link between the health MOU and Zambia's critical minerals, which are being handled separately on purpose.

Under the Data Sharing Agreement, no personally identifiable information will be exchanged. Only aggregated, de-identified programme data will be shared, and Zambia keeps ownership and control of its data under its own laws.

The funding will cover HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness.