Zambia and the United States have agreed to proceed with a health partnership valued at $3.6 billion (Sh467.7 billion) after earlier disputes over data‑sharing requirements.

The five‑year agreement is slated for signing on Thursday, with the United States contributing $1.5 billion (Sh194.9 billion) of the total funding, according to Zambia’s Health Minister Roma Chilengi.

Initial negotiations in February outlined a joint effort to strengthen Zambia’s health system and increase domestic financing, but the signing was delayed while the two sides debated clauses that would have required Zambia to share health information and biological specimens with U.S. agencies.

The final version of the pact, Chilengi says, no longer contains any provision obligating Zambia to share specimens or patient data with the United States.

Zambia’s health minister confirmed that the agreement now “has no reference to any specimen sharing conditions,” reinforcing that the country will not be required to provide biological samples.

At least nine African nations, including Kenya, have already signed similar U.S. health agreements that contain data‑ and specimen‑sharing clauses, highlighting a broader regional debate over such provisions.

Washington argues that access to health data and samples helps monitor emerging diseases and supports research into new treatments, though the agreements do not guarantee that participating countries will receive any resulting medical products.

Resistance to the data‑sharing terms has been noted in other countries; Zimbabwe rejected a similar deal in February, while Namibia and Ghana have also voiced concerns over health‑information provisions.