Kenyan courts initially halted business with the country due to legal challenges demanding patient privacy.
Arnold Kavaarpuo, executive director of the Ghana Data Protection Commission, told the BBC that the Accra government also opposed the proposed deal for similar reasons.
“We had concerns about the scope and breadth of data needed,” he said.
“It was we who generated the data and passed it on to the U.S. authorities, and there was no real reciprocal action regarding the protection of Ghanaian data and Ghanaian sovereignty.
“So from our perspective, we have no control over what happens to the data once it leaves the borders of Ghana,” he added.
Zimbabwe also cited concerns about requests for medical data that would supposedly be shared with U.S. pharmaceutical companies as a reason for rejecting the deal.
A government spokesman said there was no guarantee that drugs or vaccines developed for the pathogen would be made available to the public, pointing out that the WHO already had a system in place for member countries to share data and benefit from any treatments for future pandemics.
African countries have previously communicated health information through existing initiatives, including USAID and Pepfar, the United States’ flagship program to combat HIV and AIDS.
The United States argues that sharing data and samples is key to continued scientific advancement and mutual cooperation.
And a State Department spokeswoman said the requested data was the same aggregated, de-identified data that has been used for years in the fight against the pandemic.
What has changed is context, says Nelson Aghogho Evaborhene, PhD fellow in global health governance at Roskilde University in Denmark.
“It was an unequal relationship, but politically it was quite acceptable,” he said, “because it could be sold to the domestic population as an altruistic demand for improved health care.”
“But that has changed significantly because there is now more emphasis on trading leverage.”
Many African countries have also learned lessons from COVID-19. The race to find a vaccine has proven the value of pathogen data, but has left the continent struggling to secure doses for its citizens.
“One of the greatest opportunities for us as Africa is the fact that we have critical information that can help build a global health security ecosystem,” says Aggrey Aluso, Executive Director of Resilience Action Network Africa (Rana).
Rana joined more than 50 civil society organizations in signing an open letter to African leaders warning that U.S. terms are not dictated by Africa’s national or regional interests. This is a view shared by South Africa.
“To be honest, no country on earth with any respect for itself can comply with (both requests),” Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa’s health minister, told the BBC.
“If there is an epidemic or epidemic in that area, the United States will get the pathogen.
“And they will also give them their genome for life. But the United States will give them money for five years.”
The debate over health diplomacy has become more prominent in recent weeks following a new outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
