By Hon. Taa Wongbe
“
Before We Move Forward: Liberians Deserve the Full Truth About the $176M Health Deal with the US
We warmly welcome the historic US $176 million health MOU between the Republic of Liberia and the United States. This investment, up to $125 million in direct U.S. support and nearly $51 million in REQUIRED Liberian co-financing, has the potential to significantly advance our national health goals. Our shared history with the United States is long, meaningful, and rooted in partnership that has strengthened our health systems and saved countless Liberian lives.
But partnership does not replace responsibility. As leaders, our duty is not only to embrace opportunities that improve public health; it is also to protect the Liberian people and safeguard our national sovereignty, especially when an agreement touches sensitive areas like digital health systems, electronic medical records, disease surveillance, and data governance.
Liberians deserve to know exactly what’s in this new $176 million health agreement.
As we enter this new chapter under the America First Global Health Strategy, we must pay attention to what is happening across Africa. Just today, we learned that a High Court in Kenya suspended the U.S.–Kenya 1.6 billion dollar health deal over concerns related to data privacy, sovereignty, and constitutional oversight. That should get our attention.
Additionally, globally respected institutions such as Africa CDC, Public Citizen, Chatham House, the Center for Global Development, Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute, and the Council on Foreign Relations’ Think Global Health, have all warned that this new wave of bilateral “America First” health agreements can create structural imbalances, weaken African control over health data, and pose long-term sovereignty risks if proper safeguards are not in place.
Liberia is especially vulnerable because we do not yet have a comprehensive national data protection law. When an agreement involves electronic medical records, national surveillance systems, or outbreak data, we must be extremely careful: health data is not just numbers; it is national security, privacy, and dignity.
This is why we are calling for:
1. Full public release of the complete agreement: Liberians deserve to see the entire document – every annex, every appendix, every data-sharing clause, and any specimen-sharing arrangements if they exist. No secrets. No surprises.
2. A temporary pause on sensitive data-sharing or audit provisions: Until the agreement is fully reviewed, clearly explained, and properly aligned with Liberian law, we should not rush to implement clauses that grant external actors privileged access to our systems or information.
3. A national framework to protect Liberian health data: Before integrating new digital platforms or sharing any health information, Liberia must establish a clear, sovereign policy guaranteeing Liberian ownership and control over all electronic medical records, surveillance data, and pathogen-related information.
This partnership with the United States is important, and we welcome it. But partnership must never mean blind acceptance.
A formal letter is being sent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs requesting the immediate public release of the full MOU and all associated annexes. We can embrace this support while also demanding transparency, accountability, and strong protections for our people.
Liberia’s health system must improve, but not at the cost of our sovereignty. Transparency strengthens trust, and trust strengthens partnerships.”
