Several African Nations Reject U.S. Health Data Agreements Over Privacy and Sovereignty Concerns

A Kenyan court initially halted the country’s agreement following legal challenges that raised concerns about patient privacy protections.

Arnold Kavaarpuo, executive director of Ghana’s Data Protection Commission, stated that Accra rejected the proposed deal due to similar data privacy concerns.

“We had concerns regarding the scale and scope of data collection,” he explained. “It involved Ghanaian entities gathering and transmitting information to U.S. authorities without reciprocal safeguards for protecting our data or upholding national sovereignty.”

He emphasized, “Once data crosses Ghanaian borders, we lose oversight over its usage.”

Zimbabwe also declined the agreement, citing worries over medical data sharing that could benefit U.S. pharmaceutical companies. A government spokesperson highlighted the absence of assurances that resulting treatments would be accessible to local populations, noting existing World Health Organization frameworks for equitable data sharing and pandemic response benefits.

Historically, African countries have contributed medical data through initiatives like USAID and PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, to combat infectious diseases.

The U.S. maintains that such data exchange is essential for scientific progress and collaborative health security. A State Department spokesperson clarified that the requested information consists of aggregated, anonymized data previously used in infectious disease research.

However, Nelson Aghogho Evaborhene, a PhD fellow at Roskilde University specializing in global health governance, observed a shift in dynamics. “While the relationship was unequal before, it was politically acceptable as a gesture of health-focused altruism,” he noted. “Now, it has become increasingly transactional.”

Many African nations have drawn lessons from the pandemic era, where urgent vaccine development underscored the value of pathogen data while leaving the continent underserved in access. Aggrey Aluso, executive director of Resilience Action Network Africa (RANA), emphasized the continent’s strategic role in global health security. “Africa holds critical data that could strengthen worldwide pandemic preparedness,” he said. RANA, alongside over 50 civil society organizations, signed a letter cautioning that U.S. terms prioritize external interests over African priorities.

South Africa has echoed these sentiments. “No self-respecting nation should accept these terms,” declared Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi. He criticized provisions allowing U.S. access to pathogens during pandemics and the demand for perpetual genomic data sharing, contrasting it with limited financial support for five years.

This debate intensified amid a recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting the urgency of equitable global health collaboration.

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