Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has assured citizens that it will protect national interests and ensure equal benefits for both sides as negotiations continue over a proposed new health cooperation agreement with the United States.
Speaking to The Citizen’s sister paper, Mwananchi, on Monday, May 18, 2026 from Geneva, Minister for Health Mohamed Mchengerwa said Tanzania had entered the negotiations with a clear position aimed at avoiding controversies that have emerged around similar agreements elsewhere in Africa.
“This agreement is better and can serve as a model for Africa because it has prioritised the interests of the nation first,” he said.
Mr Mchengerwa said Tanzania had deliberately maintained a firm position on sensitive issues that have generated debate in other countries, particularly matters relating to mineral resources and information-sharing arrangements.
“As a country, we took a clear position on these matters and set them aside,” he said.
The minister added that Tanzania’s stance had prompted Washington to send a senior representative with close ties to former US President Donald Trump for direct discussions in Geneva.
“It is because of Tanzania’s position that Washington has sent a representative who is very close to President Trump to come here to Geneva and speak with me, and I want to assure Tanzanians that we will protect and safeguard our national interests,” Mr Mchengerwa said.
The proposed bilateral health pact, whose discussions began in Dar es Salaam before advancing to Geneva on May 18, is expected to deepen cooperation in healthcare financing, universal health insurance, local manufacturing of medical supplies and disease prevention.
The latest talks in Geneva involved Mr Mchengerwa and Brad Smith, a Global Health Advisor and Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy at the US Department of State.
According to Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, the two sides agreed to fast-track negotiations on what they described as “a proposed bilateral health cooperation pact designed to serve as a win-win model for Africa”.
The negotiations follow earlier discussions held in Dar es Salaam on May 14 between Mr Mchengerwa and senior US diplomat Andrew Lentz.
The proposed agreement is expected to broaden cooperation that has traditionally focused on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programmes supported through initiatives such as PEPFAR.
However, the new framework signals a wider shift towards sustainable healthcare financing, domestic manufacturing and long-term health system reforms.
Mr Mchengerwa said ordinary Tanzanians would directly benefit from the agreement once implemented.
“This agreement will directly touch ordinary citizens in different areas of health including factory construction, universal health insurance, malaria, laboratories and Pepfar-supported HIV projects,” he said.
The Ministry said the proposed framework would also cover medical research, professional exchanges, digital health technologies and resilient medical supply chains.
One of the key pillars under discussion is Tanzania’s implementation of the Universal Health Insurance Act of 2023, which seeks to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs and expand access to medical services nationwide.
The proposed agreement comes after the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in February 2025, which prompted Washington to introduce a new framework for bilateral health partnerships with several African countries.
However, the new arrangements have already faced resistance in parts of Africa. Zambia and Zimbabwe rejected similar agreements, while Kenya suspended its own deal just two days after signing it following concerns over data privacy and access to sensitive health information.
In Ghana, authorities also rejected a proposed agreement after concerns emerged that some clauses would allow broad access to health datasets and reporting systems without sufficient safeguards.
Zimbabwe earlier rejected a proposed $367 million US health deal after concerns emerged over access to biological samples and sensitive health data, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa reportedly describing the arrangement as “lopsided”.
In Zambia, negotiations over a separate health funding agreement stalled after concerns emerged over data-sharing provisions, financial obligations and allegations linking health support to cooperation on critical minerals such as copper and cobalt.
A reproductive justice lawyer based in Tanzania, Ms Martha Serengi, said the experiences of other African countries showed why Tanzania needed to remain cautious during the negotiations.
“In this period, Tanzania and other developing countries are operating in a very competitive geopolitical environment where partner countries are using strong strategic thinking to take advantage of economic vulnerabilities in order to maximise their own interests,” she said.
Ms Serengi said the government must ensure agreements signed in critical sectors such as health prioritise citizens’ welfare and long-term national benefit.
On top of that, Independent lawyer Peter Majanjala also urged the government to publicly disclose the contents of the proposed agreement so citizens could understand both its benefits and possible risks before implementation.
“Citizens should understand both the benefits and possible risks of this agreement before it is signed because these are matters that directly affect public welfare and national interests,” he said.
Meanwhile, the president of the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT), Dr Mugisha Nkoronko, welcomed the proposed agreement, saying Tanzania and the United States had maintained long-standing cooperation in the health sector.
Dr Nkoronko said the agreement could help expand local production of medical products and attract further investment in healthcare manufacturing.
“As leaders in the health sector, we see this as an important opportunity if implemented properly because it can strengthen healthcare services and support industrial development in the country,” he said.
