Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United States have formalised a $1.2 billion health partnership aimed at strengthening disease control and healthcare financing over the next five years.
In a joint statement released on February 26, 2026, the two Governments confirmed that Washington will provide up to $900 million to support efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child mortality, and other infectious diseases. Kinshasa, in turn, has pledged to increase its domestic health spending by $300 million within the same timeframe.
The agreement forms part of a broader recalibration of American health assistance across Africa. As of Thursday, the US State Department has concluded 19 bilateral global health partnerships with African countries. The new framework replaces earlier arrangements under the now-dismantled United States Agency for International Development.
The Trump administration has characterised the revised approach as consistent with its “America First” doctrine, arguing that the bilateral accords will enhance self-sufficiency, streamline funding, and eliminate what it describes as ideological priorities and inefficiencies in previous aid structures.
However, the evolving model has generated unease. On the same day the Congo deal was announced, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention raised concerns about provisions in some agreements that reportedly require recipient countries to share pathogen and outbreak data with Washington as a condition for funding.
These anxieties follow the collapse of negotiations between the US and Zimbabwe on February 26, 2026, after Harare rejected a clause mandating the sharing of sensitive health data.
It remains unclear whether similar requirements are embedded in the Congo agreement. The latest accord signals a strategic shift in global health diplomacy, as Washington moves towards direct, transactional engagements with African governments while urging greater domestic investment in national health systems.