Burkina Faso has become the latest African country to sign a controversial health funding agreement under Donald Trump’s “America First” Global Health Strategy
Under the five-year arrangement, the United States will provide $147 million, while Burkina Faso will contribute $107 million. The move has drawn attention because President Ibrahim Traore has positioned his government as distancing itself from Western powers in recent years
Concerns Over Data and Resources
Reports suggest that U.S. funding packages may be tied to granting Washington access to mineral resources and African health data. It remains unclear whether those elements are part of the U.S.–Burkina Faso agreement
The United States Department of State said the deal aims to “improve and digitize data reporting” and help tackle infectious diseases before they spread regionally or reach the United States
Burkina Faso, one of Africa’s leading gold producers with additional reserves of copper, diamonds and bauxite, has not yet publicly detailed the agreement’s full terms. Since taking power in 2022, Traoré has vowed to protect national resources from what he describes as unfair foreign exploitation
DR Congo and Other Countries Sign On
Democratic Republic of the Congo has also signed a $1.2 billion agreement under the same framework. According to the State Department, 18 African nations have accepted packages totaling $18 billion
Those countries include Botswana,Burundi,Cameroon,Cote d’Ivoire,Eswatini,Ethiopia,Kenya,Lesotho,Liberia,Madagascar,Malawi,Mozambique,Nigeria,Rwanda,Sierra Leone,Uganda
However, Zambia and Zimbabwe reportedly declined the offers, citing concerns over sharing sensitive health data and access to mineral resources
Africa CDC Raises Alarm
Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, has expressed “huge concerns” about pathogen-sharing arrangements tied to the agreements
The Trump administration has repeatedly emphasized that U.S. foreign funding should not be treated as charity but aligned with American strategic interests, reflecting a more transactional foreign policy approach
Source: TRT Africa
