AIPAC Demands That The Zambia-US Health Deal Is Made Public

The Acton Institute for Policy Analysis Centre (AIPAC) has called on Government to make the full Zambia-US health agreement public before it is signed, saying the public has a right to scrutinise a deal involving billions of dollars and the country’s health system.

In a statement, AIPAC Executive Director Solomon Ngoma said Government had a responsibility to ensure that Zambians were fully informed about the terms of the agreement before it is concluded.

Ngoma said Government had a “moral obligation” to disclose the agreement and allow citizens to understand what Zambia is committing to.

AIPAC is particularly concerned about the revised Memorandum of Understanding after earlier negotiations raised questions around access to health data, patient information and possible links between health financing and Zambia’s mineral resources.

The organisation says the public should not have to rely on assurances about what has been removed or changed in the agreement without seeing the final document.

AIPAC has therefore called for the full MoU to be published in accordance with Zambia’s Access to Information framework before the signing.

The concerns come as Zambia prepares to conclude a five-year health agreement with the United States that is expected to mobilise about US$3.6 billion, including an anticipated US$1.5 billion contribution from the US.

The agreement follows months of negotiations over areas including health financing, data, specimen sharing, intellectual property and the duration of the partnership.

Zambia had earlier pushed back against proposals that linked health financing to critical minerals. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe said in May that the health and minerals discussions should remain separate.

Government has since said the contentious provisions have been addressed. Health Minister Professor Roma Chilengi has said provisions concerning specimen sharing and patient information have been removed and that the final agreement contains no critical minerals condition.

Government has also said the revised agreement has undergone review by the Attorney General and Cabinet.

For AIPAC, however, the issue now is transparency.

Ngoma argues that the public should be able to examine the final terms before Zambia enters into a major long-term commitment involving its health system and billions of dollars in financing.

The dispute therefore goes beyond the size of the proposed funding. It centres on whether Zambians should see and understand the agreement before it is signed.