Namibia to take over financing of its HIV response after receiving $45 million from Washington in fiscal 2027
By Bunmi Yekini
The United States will begin phasing out financial support for Namibia’s HIV response after providing $45 million in the 2027 fiscal year, as Washington continues to scale back foreign aid across southern Africa.
Under a new arrangement, Namibia will gradually assume responsibility for financing its HIV programmes, while the United States shifts to providing technical cooperation, the two governments said in a joint statement.
Namibia has received about $45 million annually in recent years through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Washington says it has contributed more than $1.1 billion to Namibia’s HIV response since 2003.
The move comes amid the Trump administration’s broader “America First” approach to foreign aid, which seeks to reduce long-term dependence on U.S. funding and push countries to take greater responsibility for financing their health programmes.
Namibia’s transition also follows disagreements over provisions in a proposed health agreement that would have allowed the sharing of health data and biological specimens with the United States.
Namibian authorities rejected the provisions, citing concerns over privacy, national sovereignty and compliance with domestic laws.
Officials had said the proposed terms, in their original form, were not in line with Namibia’s national laws and infringed constitutional protections on privacy and the country’s sovereignty over its biological resources.
Both governments are now reported to be negotiating a new bilateral health agreement.
Washington has pursued country-by-country health agreements with dozens of countries, saying the arrangements will reduce donor dependency, strengthen domestic financing and protect U.S. interests.
But some African governments have pushed back against provisions relating to access to sensitive health information and biological samples.
Ghana rejected a proposed agreement over concerns about access to sensitive health data, while Zimbabwe withdrew from a $367 million package over similar issues. A court challenge has also put Kenya’s proposed $2.5 billion agreement on hold, while Zambia has raised objections to data-sharing demands.
Despite the planned withdrawal of direct financial support, Namibia has made significant progress in tackling HIV, according to the joint statement.
The country has surpassed UNAIDS targets, with 96% of people living with HIV knowing their status, 98% of those diagnosed receiving treatment and 98% of those on treatment achieving viral suppression, the governments said.
“Over the next year, this support will transition into a technical cooperation model as the HIV response is fully integrated into Namibia’s sustainable national health system, in line with Namibia’s national laws,” the joint statement said.
The United States has also announced plans to phase out more than $400 million in annual support for South Africa’s HIV programmes as part of a wider drawdown of PEPFAR assistance.
PEPFAR has supported efforts to combat HIV and AIDS in South Africa and other countries for more than two decades and is widely credited with helping to save millions of lives.