Ghana has rejected a bilateral health agreement with the United States, dealing the latest setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul foreign aid, a source familiar with the negotiations has said.
The source added that Ghanaian authorities balked at terms requiring the sharing of sensitive health data.
In September, the Trump administration unveiled its “America First Global Health Strategy”, which urges poorer nations to take greater responsibility in fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio, and to gradually transition from aid dependency to self-reliance.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was dismantled earlier this year.
Spokespeople for Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and government did not respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. State Department said it does not disclose details of ongoing bilateral negotiations.
“We continue to look for ways to strengthen the bilateral partnership between our two countries,” a spokesperson said.
According to foreign assistance data, the U.S. disbursed $219 million in aid to Ghana in 2024, including $96 million specifically for health, before the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid.
The proposed deal, which negotiations began in November last year, would have provided $109 million in U.S. health assistance to Ghana over five years, the source said. It was unclear how much Ghana would have been required to contribute.
“They were pretty normal negotiations in the beginning, but pressure increased significantly towards the end,” the source said.
Washington set April 24 as the deadline to conclude the deal, after which Accra decided it could not accept the proposed terms.
Ghana has since communicated its position to the Trump administration.
As of Monday, the State Department had signed 32 deals under the “America First Global Health Strategy”, totalling $20.6 billion in funding — $12.8 billion from the U.S. and $7.8 billion in co-investment from recipient countries.
The spokesperson added that more Memorandums of Understanding are expected to be signed in the near future.
