The Democratic Republic of Congo and the United States will jointly invest 1.2 billion US dollars in a strategic health partnership running from 2026 to 2031, with the goal of bolstering the country’s healthcare system, the two governments said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The agreement allocates 900 million US dollars in U.S. government support alongside 300 million US dollars from Congo’s own health budget, structured to increase progressively over the partnership period. The funding will target a range of priorities including maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, polio eradication, health workforce development, epidemiological surveillance, and emergency preparedness.

The deal’s structure, requiring domestic funding alongside international support, follows a template the United States has applied in other African health partnerships. Some of these arrangements have recently faced challenges.

In Zimbabwe, talks over a 367 million US dollars bilateral health agreement with the U.S. collapsed on Wednesday amid concerns about sharing sensitive health data. A government spokesman described the proposed terms as an “unequal exchange.”

Last year, a Kenyan court suspended a health funding agreement exceeding 1.6 billion US dollars signed with the U.S., pending a hearing on a case brought by a consumer protection group over the safety of citizens’ health data.

“This structural investment aims to strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system, improve care for the population, and consolidate the country's healthcare sovereignty,” the Congolese Ministry of Health said on X.