Accra balked at terms requiring the sharing of sensitive health data, becoming the latest African nation to reject Washington’s “America First” aid model.

Ghana has rejected a bilateral health deal with the United States, a source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters, marking the latest stumbling block to the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul foreign aid and the third African nation to push back against the new aid terms.

The government of President John Dramani Mahama balked at requirements that would have mandated the sharing of sensitive health data, according to the source. That same issue previously sank talks with Zimbabwe this year and also prompted a court to suspend implementation of Kenya’s deal pending the hearing of a case filed by a consumer protection group.

Spokespeople for Ghana’s foreign ministry and government did not respond to requests for comment, reports Reuters.

Intense US Pressure to Sign, Source Says

The proposed deal, which the two sides began negotiating last November, would have called for $109 million in U.S. assistance for health over five years, the source said.

It was unclear how much Ghana would have been expected to contribute under the new co-investment model.

The United States had disbursed $219 million in foreign assistance to Ghana for 2024, including $96 million specifically for health, according to government foreign assistance data. That figure predates the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to foreign aid and the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) last year.

“They were pretty normal dealings and negotiations in the beginning, and then increasingly there was a lot more pressure, especially at the end,” the source said of the talks.

Washington ultimately set April 24 as a deadline to conclude the negotiations. Accra decided it could not agree to what was being proposed and has communicated its position to the Trump administration, the source said.

America First Health Strategy

The Trump administration in September announced a new “America First Global Health Strategy” that calls for poorer nations to play a larger role in fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio in their countries, with an eventual transition from aid to self-reliance.

The U.S. State Department said it does not disclose details of bilateral negotiations. “We continue to look for ways to strengthen the bilateral partnership between our two countries,” a spokesperson said.

As of Monday, the State Department had signed 32 deals under the strategy, representing $20.6 billion in funding — made up of $12.8 billion from the U.S. and $7.8 billion in “co-investment from recipient countries,” the spokesperson said. Washington expects additional memorandums of understanding to be signed in the near future.

Broader Implications

Ghana’s rejection follows a growing pattern of African nations resisting U.S. aid terms that they view as infringing on data sovereignty and national decision-making. The collapse of negotiations raises questions about the future of U.S.-funded health programs in Ghana, particularly those targeting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis — areas that have historically relied on significant American support.

Neither the Ghanaian government nor the U.S. State Department has provided official comment on the specific terms that led to the breakdown. However, the source’s account suggests that the dispute centers on data access provisions that Accra found unacceptable.

For now, the $109 million package remains unsigned, and Ghana joins a growing list of countries unwilling to accept the Trump administration’s new aid framework as written.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2026. Stay informed with today’s front pages of Ghanaian newspapers, all in one place.