Zambia delays US deals over minerals and data claims | News

The government in Lusaka is asking for partnership, not aid, as it rejects US funds over concerns about strategic autonomy.

The Zambian government has suspended negotiations with the United States on multi-billion dollar deals for health services and minerals

Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe said on Monday that the proposed agreements had stalled due to Washington’s “unacceptable” terms and demands for preferential treatment.

A health deal, under which the US offered up to $2 billion over the next five years, was put on hold due to the “incorporation of terms that the Zambian government considers unacceptable,” it said in a statement. In particular, Zambia said demands that they share data would violate “civil rights”.

A separate deal on critical minerals has been delayed by US insistence that its companies receive preferential treatment. Zambia is Africa’s second leading copper producer and has significant reserves of other minerals.

Haimbe said Zambia is also concerned about “the linking of the two agreements,” with the US making the conclusion of the health agreement dependent on the minerals deal.

The Zambian government has been consistent in asserting that the agreements should be considered separately on their respective merits, he said.

Last week, the outgoing US ambassador to Lusaka, Michael Gonzales, spoke of concerns related to Zambia’s anti-corruption efforts and of structural issues related to US support for the health sector, according to officials cited by Anadolu Agency.

Haimbe dismissed the claims, saying ties between Lusaka and Washington are not based on aid, but on a strong and growing partnership rooted in strategic cooperation.

Health advocates have warned that the proposed health deal ties the money to mining access and carries data-sharing risks, but Zambia’s government has previously only said that parts of it are not in line with the country’s interests.

A number of African countries have signed memorandums of understanding that represent the US approach to foreign aid under President Donald Trump.

However, Zambia now joins Ghana and Zimbabwe in rejecting Washington’s demands, with particular concerns about data sharing.