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Zimbabwe has ended talks with the United States on a new health aid agreement intended to replace the USAID programme eliminated by President Donald Trump, the US embassy in Harare said on Tuesday.
The proposed deal would have provided $367 million in funding over five years and aimed to support ongoing health programmes, including treatment for 1.2 million people living with HIV, according to the embassy.
“We believe this collaboration would have delivered extraordinary benefits for Zimbabwean communities, especially the 1.2 million men, women and children currently receiving HIV treatment through US-supported programmes,” Ambassador Pamela Tremont was quoted as saying.
“We will now turn to the difficult and regrettable task of winding down our health assistance in Zimbabwe.”
AFP obtained a letter from Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Secretary, dated December 23, in which President Emmerson Mnangagwa directed officials to halt negotiations.
According to the letter, the terms endangered Zimbabwe’s autonomy and were blatantly unfair to its independence and sovereignty.
“Zimbabwe must discontinue any negotiation with the USA, on the clearly lop-sided MoU that blatantly compromises and undermines the sovereignty and independence of Zimbabwe,” said the letter, which had not previously been made public.
The US has been pursuing one-on-one health agreements across Africa under its “America First” strategy, seeking to expand its influence amid growing Chinese investment.
Countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Lesotho, and Eswatini have signed similar deals, though some, like Kenya, have faced legal challenges.
