At the end of February, Zimbabwe withdrew from a $367 million American financing agreement [about €318 million] in the health sector. The country objected to clauses giving the United States wide access to sensitive health data. The five-year program was presented as support for efforts to fight HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, and help prevent epidemics.
However, Harare described the proposal as an “unequal exchange” and highlighted the risk of Zimbabwe providing “the necessary raw material for scientific discoveries” while the benefits would remain in the hands of the United States and pharmaceutical companies. Critics of this project denounce a phenomenon of biomedical extractivism: a toxic mix of abusive research practices and a colonialist mindset that reinforces Western domination.
Biased Clauses in Illegal Contracts
In Zambia, government and civil organizations have expressed concerns about a proposed partnership between Washington and Lusaka, valued at over $1 billion [around €865 million] over five years. The preliminary version of the project includes co-financing by Zambia up to ha
