Zambia ready to sign $1.5 billion US health deal after revising requirements

Zambia ready to sign $1.5 billion US health deal after revising requirements

MINISTER of Health Professor Roma Chilengi has disclosed that Zambia is ready to sign a US$1.5 billion health funding agreement with the United States after removing a requirement that would have allowed biological specimens to be shared outside the country.

Professor Chilengi said Government has worked through concerns raised during negotiations and is now comfortable with the agreement.

According to the minister, the US$1.5 billion would be provided over five years to support Zambia’s health sector.

Speaking on last night’s Sunday Interview, he said Government had to negotiate several issues in the agreement, including a proposal that some of the programmes under the deal should run for 25 years even though the funding would only cover five years.

The Minister said Government also rejected the requirement for biological specimens to be shared outside Zambia.

“We have completely dropped the specimen-sharing requirements. No specimen would leave this country as a result of that MOU,” Prof Chilengi said.

He said Zambia was now satisfied with the changes made to the agreement and was ready to sign it.

Prof Chilengi explained that the US Government would provide the US$1.5 billion in stages over the five-year period, with the amount expected to reduce each year.

He said Zambia had also agreed to increase its own spending on health so that programmes started with the US funding could continue even after the five-year agreement ends.

“The Zambian Government commits to increase its commitment to health spending to basically pick up so that there is a sustainability of the impact of what that fund achieves,” he said.

Prof Chilengi said the agreement would therefore not only provide money for immediate health needs but would also require Zambia to gradually take greater responsibility for sustaining the programmes.

He said Government had been careful during the negotiations to ensure that the agreement protected Zambia’s interests.

The Minister said the agreement comes at a time when Government is also working to improve the way the health sector uses public money and delivers services.

He said Government was reviewing systems across the Ministry of Health and its statutory bodies to identify waste, duplication and other weaknesses.

Prof Chilengi said Government wanted to make sure that available resources were properly used before asking for more money for the health sector.

“I am hesitant myself to talk about more resources before I am convinced that the resource that we have, we are being prudent with it,” he said.

He said the focus was to ensure that money allocated to health ultimately benefits patients through better services, medicines, equipment and functioning health facilities.

By George Musonda

Kalemba October 5, 2026