By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the United States have reached a $1.2 billion strategic health partnership deal, the two nations said in a joint statement on Thursday.
The deal, the statement says will focus on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, polio eradication, epidemiological surveillance, health workforce development, and emergency preparedness and response.
The partnership covers the period of 2026-2031 and includes $900 million in targeted U.S. government assistance and $300 million in “progressively increased domestic health expenditure” by Congo’s government, the statement noted.
“This structural investment aims to strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system, improve care for the population, and consolidate the country’s healthcare sovereignty,” the ministry said on X.
The DRC deal’s structure, with a domestic funding requirement, matches the template the U.S. has used in other African health partnerships, some of which have faced challenges recently.
On Wednesday, Zimbabwe pulled out of talks on a $367 million bilateral health agreement with the U.S. due to concerns over the sharing of sensitive health data in return for U.S. financial support, with a government spokesman suggesting the offer represented an “unequal exchange”.
Late last year, a Kenyan court suspended a health funding agreement worth more than $1.6 billion that the government signed with the U.S., pending the hearing of a case filed by a consumer protection group citing concerns over the safety of citizens’ health data.
