The United States Embassy in Harare disputes recent comments by Zimbabwe’s Information Minister Zhemu Soda about a US$365 million health agreement that Zimbabwe rejected last year. Soda told Parliament that the U.S. government had been seeking to collect private health data for medical research, and that Zimbabwe was not satisfied there would be clear benefits for Zimbabweans. According to the reports, the Embassy challenges that characterization and responds to Zimbabwe’s stated rationale for rejecting the deal.
Both outlets covering the issue focus on the public disagreement between the U.S. diplomatic mission and Zimbabwe’s government over what the proposed health project involved, particularly around the handling and purpose of private health information. The dispute centres on whether the arrangement was intended to secure data for research in a way that aligned with Zimbabwe’s interests and assurances. The accounts also indicate that the matter remains unresolved publicly, with the Embassy rejecting Zimbabwe’s description of the U.S. position after the rejection of the agreement at the end of the previous year.
