Ghana rejects US health deal over concerns about sensitive data access
Ghana has turned down a proposed bilateral health agreement with the United States following the collapse of negotiations over requests for access to sensitive national health data.
This is according to a report by international news outlet Reuters.
The agreement formed part of Washington’s wider “America First Global Health Strategy,” introduced under the Trump administration to reshape foreign aid and encourage recipient countries to take on more responsibility for funding and managing disease control programmes, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio.
Per the report, talks that began in November 2025 would have secured about $109 million in U.S. health assistance for Ghana over a five-year period.
However, the negotiations broke down after Ghana objected to clauses requiring the sharing of confidential health data, which officials in Accra deemed unacceptable.
“They were pretty normal dealings and negotiations in the beginning, and then increasingly there was a lot more pressure, especially at the end,” a source said, adding that the United States had set an April 24 deadline to finalise the deal.
The collapse represents a setback for the U.S. push to reshape global health partnerships, following similar disputes in other countries.
Earlier this year, negotiations with Zimbabwe also failed over comparable concerns, while an agreement with Kenya was temporarily halted by a court after a legal challenge from a consumer rights group.
Ghana has not issued any official public comment on the matter, and neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor government spokespersons responded to requests for clarification.
The U.S. State Department, however, said it does not comment on details of bilateral negotiations but reaffirmed its commitment to continued cooperation with Ghana.
“We continue to look for ways to strengthen the bilateral partnership between our two countries,” a spokesperson said.
According to official foreign aid data, the United States provided about $219 million in assistance to Ghana in 2024, including $96 million for health-related programmes. The proposed agreement would have delivered an additional $109 million over five years, though Ghana’s own financial commitments remain unclear.
The U.S. Agency for International Development was dissolved earlier this year as part of a broader overhaul of foreign aid structures.
As of Monday, the State Department said 32 agreements had been signed under the new global health framework, amounting to $20.6 billion in total funding, with contributions from both the United States and partner countries. Further agreements are expected in the coming months.
Source: Reuters.com
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