US halts $50M aid to Zambia over rampant drug theft

    
• The US has suspended $50 million in aid to Zambia.
• The reason is the systematic theft of US-funded medications.
• The Zambian government has not taken steps to resolve the problem.

The United States has suspended its annual financial aid to Zambia, which amounted to $50 million. This decision stems from the systematic theft of medications and medical supplies meant to be provided free of charge to the people of Zambia. US Ambassador Michael Gonzales announced this decision at a press conference in Lusaka.

For over a year, the US has been requesting that the Zambian government take concrete action to prevent medication theft. Despite numerous appeals, the government did not address these demands. An investigation conducted by American authorities revealed that between 2021 and 2023, more than 2,000 Zambian pharmacies sold medications funded by US aid.

Up to 95 percent of the inspected pharmacies sold stolen products. Ambassador Gonzales emphasized that about one in three kwacha spent on public health in Zambia comes from the United States. The US has been providing approximately $128 million annually for the purchase of medications for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis.

"We are no longer willing to underwrite the personal enrichment of fraudsters or the corrupt when patients go without or have to buy life-saving medications that we have provided for free," said Ambassador Gonzales. Similar problems with medication theft have also occurred in Liberia, where 90 percent of pharmacies sold medications supplied under free aid by USAID.

The aid cuts to Zambia are separate from the freeze on global health programs announced by US President Donald Trump in January. The situation in Zambia underscores the importance of monitoring and controlling aid funds to ensure they reach those in need.