Ghana pulls out of US aid talks over demands for personal data

Ghana has ended talks for a multi-year aid deal with the United States after Washington demanded access to citizens’ personal data, a source close to the West African nation’s government has told AFP.

The United States has been striking new health aid deals across Africa after the administration of US President Donald Trump dismantled the long-standing USAID agency and curtailed the role of NGOs.

“The deal is dead,” the source said this week, noting that Ghana’s negotiating team included health officials, suggesting it may have been partly tied to health.

The US team became “hostile” and piled on “pressure” after Ghana pushed back on the demand for personal data, the source told AFP.

A spokesman for Ghana’s health ministry did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

The deal would have provided Ghana $109 million in funding for five years, according to the source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, without confirming the specific areas of focus of the proposal.

A spokesperson told AFP in an emailed statement that the US State Department “does not disclose the details of ongoing bilateral negotiations” and suggested the funding would have supported “fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases”.

AFP

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