By Our Reporter
WORLD
The government of Zimbabwe has withdrawn from negotiations on a proposed bilateral health Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States.
This MOU would have provided $367 million over five years to support Zimbabwe’s priority health programs, including HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, and disease outbreak preparedness.
This is revealed in a press statement issued by the U.S Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe dated Tuesday, 24th February, 2026 and signed off by U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Pamela Tremont.
“We believe this collaboration would have delivered extraordinary benefits for Zimbabwean communities— especially the 1.2 million men, women, and children currently receiving HIV treatment through U.S.-supported programs,” said U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Pamela Tremont. “We will now turn to the difficult and regrettable task of winding down our health assistance in Zimbabwe.”
The statement says that the proposed MOU represented the largest potential health investment in Zimbabwe by any international funder and was built on a co-funding model designed to ensure sustainability and a path toward self-reliance.
The MOU asked Zimbabwe to gradually increase its own health funding alongside U.S. support, building on more than $1.9 billion in U.S. health support to Zimbabwe since 2006 that is directly responsible for Zimbabwe reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals.
Sixteen African countries have so far signed health collaboration MOUs with the United States, which represents over $18.3 billion in new health funding including more than $11.2 billion in U.S. assistance alongside $7.1 billion in co-investment from recipient countries.
“The United States has a responsibility to American taxpayers to invest their resources where mutual accountability, transparency, and shared commitment are assured,” Ambassador Tremont noted. “These MOUs set a higher standard for bilateral health cooperation—one that prioritizes sustainability, measurable outcomes, and shared ownership of results. The Government of Zimbabwe has assured us it is prepared to sustain the fight against HIV/AIDS, and we wish them well.”
By the time of filing this story, this Publication had not got reasons behind this move by Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.
