Accra — Ghana has rejected a proposed health partnership with the United States, citing provisions that would have given US entities access to sensitive Ghanaian health data without adequate safeguards, an official told The Associated Press.
Arnold Kavaarpuo, executive director of Ghana’s Data Protection Commission, said the scope of data access sought “went far beyond what would typically be required for the purpose for which it’s stated.” He said the draft agreement would have allowed access not only to health datasets but also to metadata, dashboards, reporting tools, data models and data dictionaries, and could identify individuals as needed for sensitive health data. That, he said, amounted to “outsourcing the health data architecture of the country to a foreign body.”
Under the proposed deal, valued at roughly USD 300 million, Ghana stood to receive about USD 109 million in US funding over five years, with additional investments from the Ghanaian government. Kavaarpuo said the proposal would have permitted up to 10 US entities to access the data without prior approval from Ghana, offering notification rather than a prior-approval governance arrangement. He added Ghana did not feel it would have meaningful oversight of how the data would be used.
The US has pursued similar health agreements with nearly two dozen African nations, an approach that began under the Trump administration’s “America First” policy and evolved into a new framework late last year intended to replace aspects of the now-dismantled United States Agency for International Development. The deals promise hundreds of millions in funding to strengthen public health systems and respond to outbreaks after earlier US aid cuts.
But the agreements have drawn pushback across Africa over data privacy, sovereignty and fairness. In February, Zimbabwe rejected the proposed deal over comparable concerns; Zambia reportedly pushed back on parts of the agreement; and activists say some deals are restrictive or favor certain providers, as critics noted in Nigeria where US support was seen as focusing mainly on Christian faith-based healthcare. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director General Jean Kaseya has also voiced “huge concerns” about data and pathogen sharing tied to these arrangements.
Ghana has communicated its decision to the United States and is seeking improved terms before moving forward. The US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
