Fostering Health Sovereignty in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Through the America First Global Health Strategy

Today, the United States and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) signed a five-year bilateral health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that advances the America First Global Health Strategy while protecting Americans and Congolese from infectious disease threats. 

Under the MOU, working with Congress, the Department of State intends to provide up to $900 million over the next five years to support the DRC’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child deaths, and other infectious diseases, while bolstering disease surveillance and outbreak response. The Government of the DRC commits to increasing its own domestic health expenditures by $300 million over the course of the five-year MOU, assuming greater self-reliance in its own health system. 

This $1.2 billion MOU safeguards Americans by strengthening the DRC’s capacity to detect and contain infectious disease outbreaks before they spread internationally. The MOU includes global health security funding to establish a national integrated surveillance and outbreak response system, including a high-quality laboratory network capable of detecting and investigating infectious disease outbreaks within seven days. Under this system, relevant authorities, including the United States and other partners, will coordinate epidemic preparedness and rapid response measures to contain outbreaks and prevent their spread to neighboring areas. 

The MOU focuses on strengthening frontline health workers through the professionalization of Community Health Workers (CHWs) with integrated training and sustainable remuneration, while modernizing data and disease surveillance systems with enhanced electronic medical records and interoperable platforms. Additionally, the MOU will accelerate the introduction and scale-up of health innovations, including rapid diagnostic tools for neonatal sepsis, and expand integrated delivery of essential health services for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, polio, and maternal and child health. By building the DRC’s capacity to independently manage these health priorities, the United States will reduce long-term dependency on American assistance while ensuring infectious disease threats are detected and contained before they can reach American shores. 

America First Global Health Strategy Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) signed so far represent nearly $19.8 billion in new health funding including more than $12.2 billion in U.S. assistance alongside $7.5 billion in co-investment from recipient countries, building on decades of progress fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases around the world.  As of February 26, the State Department has signed 19 bilateral global health MOUs with Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Panama, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.