On April 28, 2026, it was reported that Ghana had rejected a proposed bilateral health deal with the United States, citing “unhealthy concerns” about the terms.

According to reports, a highly placed source with knowledge of the matter confirmed that Ghana declined the deal primarily because of the conditions attached to it.

The source indicated that the government could not agree to share information as sensitive as the health data of its citizens with a foreign nation, raising concerns about privacy and long-term control.

Here are some alleged inside details of the terms, according to what a source shared with JoyNews on April 29, 2026:

Ghana rejects $109m US health aid deal over data privacy concerns

According to the source, the proposed agreement required Ghana to share health records with the United States for a period of 25 years, even though the aid programme itself was designed to last only five years.

This disparity is said to have raised concerns about the long-term implications of such an arrangement.

The MoU also reportedly included provisions that would allow drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to enter the Ghanaian market without undergoing the country’s standard approval processes.

This would effectively sideline the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority, potentially weakening local regulatory oversight.

Moreover, while the United States pledged $109 million over five years, that commitment was subject to the availability of funds and approval by Congress.

Ghana, on the other hand, was required to commit $70 million in counterpart funding over the same period, and this obligation was binding.

Furthermore, the agreement is said to have granted the United States broad discretion over how the shared data could be used, including the possibility of making it available to American pharmaceutical companies for research, product development, and other commercial purposes.

In addition, in November 2025, the U.S. chargé d’affaires reportedly presented Ghana’s Ministry of Health with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which had been drafted unilaterally by the U.S., and requested that it be signed within one week.

However, the United States has already disbursed about $219 million in foreign assistance to Ghana in 2024, including $96 million earmarked for health programmes, according to official foreign aid data.

Taken together, the reported details suggest that Ghana’s decision was largely influenced by concerns over data protection, regulatory authority, financial commitments, and the overall structure of the agreement.

US health aid: JoyNews sources confirm in November 2025, the US chargé d’affaires presented Ghana’s Ministry of Health with an MoU unilaterally by the US requesting, it be signed within one week

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US health aid deal: US required Ghana to share health records for 25 years while aid was for only 5 years - JoyNews sources say

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