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2d ago

Draft U.S. Memo Weighs Cutting Zambia HIV Aid to Win Mineral Access

The reported plan, drawn from a State Department draft, ties future health funding to expanded access for U.S. companies to Zambia’s lithium, copper and cobalt.

A stylized image of Donald Trump's face in an orange halftone pattern, partially overlaid on a modified American flag.
Zambia is Africa's second-largest copper producer, behind the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the eighth-largest in the world, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS)
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Kenya became the first country to sign a health aid deal with the United States in December but a court suspended it a week later over concerns about sharing personal data

Overview

  • The New York Times reports that a State Department memo prepared for Secretary Marco Rubio proposes using the threat of 'significantly' cutting HIV assistance to pressure Zambia on minerals access.
  • The draft outlines potential reductions beginning in May unless Zambia agrees to terms that include opening its mining sector to greater U.S. participation.
  • The proposal would offer $1 billion in U.S. health funding over five years conditioned on Zambia committing $340 million of its own and granting broader access to strategic minerals.
  • Roughly 1.3 million Zambians rely on daily antiretroviral treatment, with a large share supported through PEPFAR, raising warnings from residents and advocates about severe health risks if funding is cut.
  • The reported approach has drawn political and ethical criticism, including from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and remains at the draft stage without a finalized, publicly announced policy.