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Zambia pushes back against US investment approach

May 5, 2026, 8:39am EDT
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A doctor checks on a patient at a ward of Sinozam Friendship Hospital in Kitwe.
Han Xu/Xinhua via Getty Images

Zambia said it opposed US attempts to tie a $2 billion healthcare deal to access to the country’s minerals, becoming the latest African nation to hit back at Washington’s new approach toward the continent.

Since the start of US President Donald Trump’s second term, Washington’s Africa strategy has shifted radically, slashing aid in favor of trade deals that serve US interests. The agreements have raised issues over privacy — Zambia’s foreign minister said his country was against handing over data — prompting “huge concerns” from a leading African health organization along with other nations, including Ghana and Zimbabwe.

The new US approach, as well as Trump’s tariffs, has pushed some countries closer to China, which last week slashed levies on virtually all African imports.

A chart showing Africa’s share of global mined production and reserves for select critical minerals.
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