A diplomatic storm is brewing after reports emerged that the United States Department of State is considering withholding critical HIV assistance to Zambia as leverage to secure broader access to the country’s valuable mineral resources.
According to a draft memo prepared for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio by staff in the department’s Africa Bureau and obtained by The New York Times, Washington may use major cuts to health assistance as a negotiating tactic to push Zambia into signing a sweeping new agreement.
The proposal reportedly suggests that the United States could “publicly take support away from Zambia on a massive scale” if the government does not move forward with the deal.
The stakes are enormous. An estimated 1.3 million Zambians rely on daily HIV treatment provided through the U.S.-funded President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program launched during the administration of George W. Bush that has delivered more than $6 billion in support to Zambia over the past two decades.
The memo suggests the U.S. government could significantly reduce assistance as early as May, increasing pressure on Lusaka to finalize negotiations.
Minerals at the Heart of the Dispute
Unlike similar health agreements the United States has signed with 24 other countries, the proposed deal with Zambia reportedly goes far beyond healthcare funding.
Washington is seeking greater access for American companies to Zambia’s vast mineral wealth, including copper, lithium, and cobalt—resources considered crucial for the global green energy transition. U.S. officials also view the agreement as a way to counter China’s dominant presence in Zambia’s mining sector.
Under the draft proposal, the United States would provide $1 billion in health funding over five years, provided Zambia commits $340 million in additional domestic health spending. However, this amount would still be less than half of the health assistance Zambia received before recent aid reductions.
The deal would also reportedly involve renegotiating a $458 million grant agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, originally signed in 2024 to support Zambia’s agricultural sector. Washington now wants the arrangement restructured to include regulatory changes affecting mining and other industries.
Pressure Mounting
The Trump administration had expected Zambia to sign the agreement last year, when several other nations accepted similar arrangements. But negotiations have stalled, fueling frustration in Washington.
The draft memo warns that if Zambia refuses to sign, sharp public cuts to American foreign assistance could be used to demonstrate the seriousness of U.S. demands under the “America First” foreign policy approach.
Officials from the United States Department of State declined to comment on the leaked document, stating they do not discuss “purportedly leaked documents or deliberative diplomatic discussions.”
Meanwhile, Cornelius Mweetwa, Zambia’s Minister of Information and chief government spokesperson, also declined to comment on the negotiations.
Lives at Stake
The controversy has raised alarm because Zambia’s health system still depends heavily on U.S. support. From the supply chain delivering lifesaving medicines to programs preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission, much of the country’s HIV response relies on American funding and logistics.
When PEPFAR first began operating in Zambia in the early 2000s, around 90,000 people were dying from HIV each year and the nation’s health system was overwhelmed.
Today, while the Zambian government has begun gradually taking over some programs, millions still depend on the assistance—making the ongoing negotiations both a geopolitical and humanitarian flashpoint. #Zambia #USAID #usa #HIV #USStateDepartment
Source: New York Times, MeidasTouch
Infact we have got people who killers HIV if at all they want to withdraw they can do so ,so that we can allow our local medicine to be used not those tablets which only suppress virus.