By Wisdom Mumera

The United States will wind down health assistance to Zimbabwe after Harare withdrew from negotiations on a proposed five-year, $367 million bilateral health agreement.

The U.S. Embassy in Harare announced the decision on February 24, 2026.

It said the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would have supported HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention and tuberculosis.

Other areas to be covered include malaria, maternal and child health and outbreak preparedness.

U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Pamela Tremont said the collaboration would have benefited 1.2 million people currently receiving HIV treatment through U.S.-supported programmes.

“We believe this collaboration would have delivered extraordinary benefits for Zimbabwean communities.

“We will now turn to the difficult and regrettable task of winding down our health assistance in Zimbabwe,” Tremont said.

According to the Embassy, the MOU was the largest potential health investment in Zimbabwe by any international funder.

It was based on a co-funding model requiring Zimbabwe to gradually increase domestic health financing.

The U.S. said it has provided more than $1.9 billion in health support to Zimbabwe since 2006.

This, it credits for helping the country achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.

Sixteen African countries have signed similar health MOUs with Washington.

This represents over $18.3 billion in new health funding, including $11.2 billion in U.S. assistance and $7.1 billion in co-investment from recipient governments.

“The United States has a responsibility to American taxpayers to invest their resources where mutual accountability, transparency and shared commitment are assured,” Tremont said.

“These MOUs set a higher standard for bilateral health cooperation.

“One that prioritizes sustainability, measurable outcomes and shared ownership of results.

“The Government of Zimbabwe has assured us it is prepared to sustain the fight against HIV/AIDS, and we wish them well,” she added.