• Burkina Faso signs $147 million US health deal
• Funding targets HIV, malaria and health security
• Malaria cases fell 32% in 2025

Burkina Faso and the United States have signed a five-year health memorandum of understanding that could mobilise up to $147 million in U.S. funding, the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

Washington said the agreement will support Burkina Faso’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases. It is also intended to strengthen regional health security in the Sahel by improving the country’s capacity to detect and manage infectious disease threats before they spread beyond its borders.

The memorandum allocates roughly $12 million to international health security programmes aimed at reinforcing community health systems and digitising health data transmission.

Regional scrutiny of similar agreements

The signing comes at a time when comparable U.S.-backed health cooperation frameworks are facing resistance in parts of Africa.

Zimbabwe ended negotiations on a similar agreement on Feb. 25, 2026, describing it as an “unequal exchange” that it said undermined national sovereignty and independence.

In December, Kenya signed a separate five-year health cooperation framework providing for $1.6 billion in U.S. investment. However, Kenya’s High Court has since suspended the implementation of that agreement.

Health progress despite insecurity

Burkina Faso’s health system continues to operate in a difficult security environment, with large parts of the country affected by armed violence.

Despite those constraints, the World Health Organization said the country made notable progress in 2024. Around 58% of health facilities were reopened, compared with 37% in 2023. Community health workers also played a key role in maintaining malaria treatment and prevention services in insecure areas.

Government figures show malaria cases fell from 10,805,000 in 2024 to 7,329,000 in 2025, a decline of 32%. Deaths linked to the disease dropped by 48% over the same period.

Burkina Faso is the 17th country to sign a health memorandum of understanding with the United States, joining countries including Burundi, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire.

By the end of the agreement period, Burkina Faso is expected to integrate U.S.-funded frontline healthcare and laboratory workers into its national health workforce, a move the State Department said would help build a more resilient, country-led health system capable of addressing future health security threats.

Lydie Mobio