US’s new scramble for Africa is biomedical imperialism

Al JazeeraCenterEN 6 min read 100% complete by Tafi MhakaMarch 13, 2026 at 03:16 PM

AI Summary

long article 6 min

A series of proposed US health funding agreements in Africa are facing scrutiny due to concerns over data and pathogen sharing. Zimbabwe withdrew from a $367 million agreement in late February 2026, citing unequal exchange terms that prioritized US access to health data and pathogen samples without guaranteeing equitable access to resulting medical technologies. Similar concerns have been raised in Zambia regarding a proposed $1 billion partnership, including a provision linking the health agreement to a separate minerals compact. In Kenya, a $2.5 billion agreement was suspended by the High Court over data protection concerns. These disputes highlight a pattern of potentially exploitative research practices within the US's "America First Global Health Strategy" in Africa.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Kaiser Family Foundation 30% Mpilo Central Hospital 40% Harare ×250% Nairobi 50% Kenya ×260% Lusaka ×260% Zambia ×370% Zimbabwe ×480% United States ×590%

Keywords

biomedical imperialism 90% health data 80% pathogen samples 70% equitable benefit-sharing 70% africa 60% health funding agreement 60% data protection 50% united states 50% biomedical extractivism 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.60

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Zimbabwe

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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biomedical imperialism health data pathogen samples equitable benefit-sharing africa health funding agreement data protection united states biomedical extractivism

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