The United States and Côte d’Ivoire have signed a landmark five-year bilateral health cooperation agreement valued at $937 million, marking a major shift in U.S. global health policy toward country ownership, co-investment, and accountability.
The agreement, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 30, aligns with Washington’s America First Global Health Strategy, which seeks to reduce long-term aid dependency while strengthening partner countries’ capacity to prevent and respond to infectious disease outbreaks that could pose cross-border threats.
Under the terms of the deal, the United States will provide up to $487 million in targeted health assistance over five years, while Côte d’Ivoire has committed $450 million in new domestic funding to strengthen its national health system. Of this amount, $125 million will be directed toward assuming full responsibility for frontline health workers and essential medical supplies.
U.S. officials say the agreement represents a move away from open-ended aid toward results-driven cooperation, with recipient countries required to invest their own resources and take responsibility for outcomes.
The MOU prioritises early detection and containment of infectious disease outbreaks, focusing on epidemic surveillance, laboratory capacity, health data systems, and supply-chain modernisation. By strengthening these systems, both countries aim to stop outbreaks before they spread across borders, reducing global health risks.
The agreement also opens the door for U.S. private sector involvement, particularly in health logistics, data management, and supply-chain solutions, areas seen as critical to modern disease control and emergency response.
Health analysts note that the Côte d’Ivoire deal could serve as a template for future U.S. health partnerships, especially across Africa, where governments are under increasing pressure to demonstrate sustainability and domestic investment in donor-supported programmes.
The United States has indicated plans to sign similar multi-year bilateral global health MOUs with dozens of countries in the coming weeks, further advancing its recalibrated global health strategy.
For Côte d’Ivoire, the agreement signals a step toward greater health sector self-reliance, while remaining embedded in global efforts to prevent pandemics and strengthen international health security.
