ABIDJAN, Jan 2 – The United States has signed health agreements worth more than $16 billion with African nations since withdrawing from the World Health Organization, with the latest deal concluded with Ivory Coast, according to U.S. officials.
The five-year agreement with Ivory Coast is valued at more than $480 million and focuses on expanding access to healthcare services, including programmes targeting HIV, malaria and other infectious diseases, the U.S. embassy in Abidjan said in a statement.
Ivory Coast will contribute 163 billion CFA francs, equivalent to about $292 million, accounting for roughly 60% of the funding by 2030, Prime Minister Beugré Mambé said.
The deal brings the total value of bilateral health pacts signed under President Donald Trump’s administration in Africa to more than $16 billion. Similar agreements have been reached with more than a dozen countries, including Nigeria and Kenya.
In Nigeria, the health pact includes commitments to combat HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, with Abuja expected to spend about $3 billion under the agreement, according to the U.S. Department of State. U.S. officials say the deals are part of the America First Global Health Strategy, which they argue will save millions of lives by aligning health security with national and partner priorities.
However, the agreements have sparked concern among civil society groups and policy experts. In Kenya, a court temporarily froze a $2.5 billion health deal, ordering the government not to share medical, epidemiological or sensitive personal health data with the United States while legal challenges are reviewed.
Analysts warn the bilateral approach could weaken multilateral health cooperation and increase dependency. Ngozi Erondu, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said the strategy aligns health security with industrial competitiveness for Washington but risks reinforcing structural dependence for African partners seeking to build domestic manufacturing and regulatory capacity.
More than 50 civil rights organisations have urged African governments to exercise caution, warning that the agreements could give the United States undue leverage to reduce or cancel health assistance over perceived noncompliance and raise potential human rights and data privacy concerns.
U.S. officials have defended the approach, stressing collaboration and shared responsibility. “We are in a new generation of our assistance,” U.S. ambassador to Ivory Coast Jessica Davis Ba said, adding that the partnership focuses on long-term cooperation in tackling major public health challenges.
