The United States and Burkina Faso have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding worth up to $147 million to strengthen public health cooperation and disease preparedness, the United States Department of State announced. The agreement, concluded under the Trump administration’s “America First” global health strategy, aims to reinforce health security in the Sahel region and improve Burkina Faso’s ability to independently manage infectious disease threats.
Under the deal, the U.S. funding will support programmes targeting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases, while expanding epidemiological surveillance, laboratory diagnostics and rapid outbreak response systems. An additional $12 million is earmarked specifically for global health security initiatives, including community health system strengthening, digitization of health data and enhanced laboratory capacity for pathogen detection. In return, Burkina Faso has pledged to increase its domestic health spending by $107 million over the same five-year period, signaling greater national ownership of key health interventions.
A key provision of the agreement requires Burkina Faso to integrate health workers and laboratory personnel currently funded by Washington into the national workforce once the memorandum expires, a move intended to ensure sustainability and reduce long-term reliance on external aid. Burkina Faso is among 17 African nations that had signed similar health cooperation agreements with Washington by 25 February 2026. Collectively, those accords represent commitments exceeding $18.56 billion, including $11.33 billion in U.S. assistance and $7.23 billion in co-investments from participating countries. U.S. officials say the initiative is designed to contain health threats at their source, particularly in fragile regions such as the Sahel, where weak health systems and cross-border mobility increase the risk of epidemic spread.
