The United States Trump administration has considered setting an April 30 deadline for Zambia to accept a mining deal. This makes Zambia risk losing access to critical HIV drugs.
Trump weighs April 30 deadline linking PEPFAR HIV drugs funding to US mining access
The proposal threatens the health of approximately 1.3 million Zambians. These are citizens who rely on HIV treatment funded through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Aid workers warn that a reduced support system is already operational. Also, it added that the U.S. could cut its backing in a single day.
“We will only secure our priorities by demonstrating willingness to publicly take support away from Zambia on a massive scale,” the leaked memo, prepared for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stated.
The draft proposal offers $1 billion in health funding over five years. This is less than half of the previous levels in exchange for three conditions.
Leaked memo reveals $1 billion health offer hinges on domestic spending
The conditions include a $340 million in new domestic health spending from Zambia. It also includes a preferential access for U.S. mining companies to the country’s copper, lithium, and cobalt reserves.
Additionally, it includes the restructuring of a $458 million Millennium Challenge Corporation grant toward mining regulatory reforms.
However, it remains unclear whether the Trump administration formally presented these terms to Zambian officials or officially conveyed any deadline. The memo currently reflects a negotiating position rather than an imposed ultimatum.
Meanwhile, there is no confirmed reporting on whether Zambia has accepted or rejected the proposal.
In 2025, the US government stopped support for HIV treatment in Nigeria and other developing countries as a result of President Donald Trump’s order. The US State Department stopped the allocation of funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for the treatment of HIV in Africa.