Ghana rejects controversial US health deal

Negotiations which began last November escalated under growing US pressure before collapsing, a source has said.

Ghana has rejected a proposed health assistance agreement with the US over requirements to share sensitive health data, a source familiar with the negotiations told RT on Tuesday.

The decision marks another setback to Washington’s overhaul of foreign aid, following the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development last year when President Donald Trump returned to office. The new ‘America First Global Health Strategy’ mandates what the State Department calls co-investment from recipient governments, aiming to reduce dependency on foreign aid and promote US health innovations globally.

According to a source Reuters cites, Ghana’s government objected to data-sharing terms in the deal, which would have provided $109 million in US health assistance over five years. The West African country received $219 million in US foreign aid in 2024, including $96 million for health, before the Trump administration’s aid cuts, official data shows.

Negotiations reportedly began last November, but Accra came under increasing pressure as Washington set an April 24 deadline to finalize the deal.

“They were pretty normal dealings and negotiations in the beginning, and then increasingly there was a lot more pressure, especially at the end,” the source reportedly said.

Ghana has communicated its position to the Trump administration, according to the source. A spokesperson for the government and Ghana’s Foreign Ministry have yet to comment on the issue.

The US State Department said it does not disclose details of bilateral talks. “We continue to look for ways to strengthen the bilateral partnership between our two countries,” a spokesperson told Reuters.

So far, 32 countries have signed agreements with Washington under the initiative, totaling $20.6 billion, which includes $12.8 billion in US funding and $7.8 billion from partner countries, according to the State Department.

African signatories include Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

Ghana is not the first country to withdraw from the pact. In February, Zimbabwe rejected a $367 million US proposal, citing demands for access to sensitive health data, including virus samples and epidemiological information, without guaranteed access to resulting medical innovations.

In December, Kenya’s High Court suspended the implementation of its deal pending a case over data safety, while a proposed $1 billion deal with Zambia has faced criticism over data-sharing terms and reported links to cooperation on critical minerals.

Image credit: Julia Koblitz