The United States of America says Zimbabwe’s decision to withdraw from a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a five-year, $367 million arrangement is regrettable.
The programme was intended to support Zimbabwe’s priority health initiatives, including HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, and disease outbreak preparedness.
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“We believe this collaboration would have delivered extraordinary benefits for Zimbabwean communities — especially the 1.2 million men, women and children currently receiving HIV treatment through U.S.-supported programmes,” said U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Pamela Tremont.
“We will now turn to the difficult and regrettable task of winding down our health assistance in Zimbabwe.”
She said the proposed MOU represented the largest potential health investment in Zimbabwe by any international funder.
The MOU was built on a co-funding model designed to ensure sustainability and provide a path toward self-reliance, she said.
The agreement required Zimbabwe to gradually increase its own health funding alongside U.S. support, building on more than $1.9 billion in U.S. health assistance to the country since 2006. That support has been directly credited with helping Zimbabwe achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.
Sixteen African countries have so far signed health collaboration MOUs with the United States, representing more than $18.3 billion in new health funding — including over $11.2 billion in U.S. assistance and $7.1 billion in co-investment from recipient countries.
“The United States has a responsibility to American taxpayers to invest their resources where mutual accountability, transparency and shared commitment are assured,” Ambassador Tremont said.
“These MOUs set a higher standard for bilateral health cooperation — one that prioritises sustainability, measurable outcomes and shared ownership of results. The Government of Zimbabwe has assured us it is prepared to sustain the fight against HIV/AIDS, and we wish them well.”-newsda
