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Zambia has revealed that a proposed United States health agreement it rejected was tied to access to critical minerals, providing the first detailed explanation of why negotiations with Washington have stalled.
Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe issued a statement on Monday detailing the government’s objections.
According to Haimbe, the United States offered up to $2 billion over five years under a proposed health agreement. But he said some of the data-sharing terms would violate the privacy rights of Zambians.
Haimbe also said Zambia has problems with the content of a separate proposed critical minerals agreement.
“A further concern… is the coupling of the proposed agreements and frameworks to one another such that the conclusion of the critical minerals agreement is made conditional to the conclusion of the Health MOU,” Haimbe said in a statement.
“The Zambian Government has been consistent that the agreements must be considered separately on their respective merits,” he added.
On the critical minerals side, Haimbe said Zambia is reluctant to accept the terms because the US wants preferential treatment for its companies.
The US State Department has said it does not discuss details of bilateral negotiations. The United States had openly criticised Zambia after a deadline passed without the signing of a health aid deal worth more than $1 billion.
