At the end of February, Zimbabwe withdrew from a $367 million US financing agreement [approximately €318 million] in the health sector. The country objected to clauses granting the United States wide access to sensitive health data. The five-year program was presented as support for efforts to combat HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, as well as aid in preventing 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 with 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.
Sinister Clauses in Illegal Contracts
In Zambia, government and civil organizations have expressed concern about a proposed partnership between Washington and Lusaka, worth over $1 billion [approximately €865 million] over five years. The preliminary version of the project includes co-financing from Zambia to ha
