Zambian Civil Society Has Called On The Government To Call Off The Signing Of The United States

Zambia health aid agreement, demanding transparency and accountability before the deal is finalized. When asked whether they have engaged both the US and Zambian Governments on the matter, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) said they have not engaged either party, as they have not been given the opportunity. However, they expressed willingness to engage the Government should the opportunity arise.

In a joint press briefing held this morning in Lusaka, presided over by ActionAid Country Director Faides Temba Temba and Oxfam Policy, Advocacy and Influencing Lead for Zambia, Ms. Chitimbwa Chifunda, the CSOs urged the Government to disclose details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the public, including CSOs, before committing to the agreement.

Ms. Chifunda, who read the joint statement on behalf of Oxfam, ActionAid, Zambia Alliance for Women (ZAW), Chapter One Foundation, IPAS, Fight Inequality, among others, said it is important to ensure that co-financing commitments are realistic, gradual, and aligned with Zambia's fiscal capacity, without compromising the continuity of lifesaving HIV and other health services.

"We want the Government to halt the signing of the proposed agreement without sufficient public scrutiny, wider stakeholder engagement, and, more importantly, parliamentary oversight. We also want the full draft MoU, as well as the 'Bilateral Compact', to be publicly released immediately," she said.

Ms. Chifunda added that CSOs and Zambians want to ensure that HIV and health assistance remains unconditional and decoupled from mineral negotiations.
She said CSOs have many roles, including ensuring that nations protect national sovereignty over health data and safeguard citizens' data in line with the Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021.

"Instead, we would want the Zambian Government to strengthen public revenue generation to sustain domestic health financing and reduce dependence on external financing," the statement reads in part. The CSOs observed that the health aid agreement, which is scheduled to be concluded on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, according to information available to them, could undermine the health sector, natural resource governance, and principles of national sovereignty and integrity.

"While we acknowledge that the United States of America has played a vital role in supporting Zambia's healthcare system—including providing antiretroviral therapy (ART) to an estimated 1.3 million people—we stress that lifesaving health assistance should never be used as leverage in mineral access or any other unrelated negotiations," Ms. Chifunda read.

The consortium of CSOs said their call follows a report published on March 16, 2026, by The New York Times, indicating that the US Government may condition the provision of lifesaving health sector assistance on expanded access to Zambia's critical minerals and health data. Ms. Chifunda said the reported MoU includes USD 1.012 billion in health funding over five years, mainly targeting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, vaccines, maternal and child health, and pandemic surveillance.

"Additional reporting by News Diggers suggests the Government has not rejected the deal but is still negotiating its terms. News of the conditionalities was first revealed in detail as early as January 25 in The Mast, with further coverage one month later in The Guardian," the statement says.
The statement also highlights that global health and natural resource governance advocacy organisations have warned that conditioning health aid on extractive sector concessions could undermine Zambia's efforts to achieve its long-term health sector goals.

On Thursday, March 26, 2026, more than 90 development, public health, environmental, and faith-based organisations globally co-signed a letter urging US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to publicly reject the use of HIV assistance and other medical aid as leverage to pressure Zambia into signing a critical minerals agreement with the United States.

During the question-and-answer session, Ms. Temba Temba reiterated that CSOs have not engaged with the Government due to lack of opportunity but remain open to engagement if invited. She added that if the Government does not respond to their demands, CSOs will remain vigilant in holding it accountable on matters of transparency and accountability.

"There has been a lot of secrecy concerning the MoU," she said.

When asked what alternative health financing models the CSOs would propose, in light of diminishing support to the health sector, IPAS Zambia Policy Advisor Timothy Banda echoed Ms. Temba Temba's sentiments, stating that the Government should prioritise mobilising domestic resources to fund the health sector.

This article originally appeared on AllAfrica.