Feb 26 – Democratic Republic of Congo and the United States have agreed a $1.2 billion strategic health partnership, the two governments said in a joint statement on Thursday.
The partnership covers the period of 2026-2031, the statement said. It includes $900 million in targeted U.S. government assistance and $300 million in “progressively increased domestic health expenditure” by Congo’s government, they said.
It will focus on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, polio eradication, epidemiological surveillance, health workforce development, and emergency preparedness and response, the statement said.
“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 come unstuck 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.
(Reporting by Alexander Winning and Congo newsroom; Writing by Portia Crowe; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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