The United States and the Kingdom of Eswatini have signed a five‑year health cooperation agreement, marking a significant step in bilateral efforts to strengthen health systems and disease response in the southern African nation, the U.S. State Department said Friday.
Under the $242 million memorandum of understanding (MOU), the United States plans to provide up to $205 million over five years to support key health priorities, including health data collection, modernized disease surveillance and outbreak response, and expanded HIV prevention and treatment services. In return, Eswatini will increase its domestic health spending by $37 million during the period, reinforcing the partnership’s emphasis on shared responsibility and long‑term sustainability.
The agreement aligns with Washington’s global health cooperation framework, which seeks to combine U.S. health aid with co‑investment from partner countries to build resilient systems capable of addressing both endemic and emerging threats. It includes provisions to scale up access to critical HIV interventions and bolster public health data systems using U.S. technology and expertise.
The partnership also builds on long‑standing U.S. engagement in Eswatini’s health sector.
Officials said the joint initiative aims to reinforce public health infrastructure, enhance outbreak preparedness, and ensure sustainable access to quality care, even as Eswatini addresses persistent health challenges such as HIV and other infectious diseases.
The new MOU comes amid a broader push by the United States to expand bilateral health cooperation with African nations under its global strategy, with similar five‑year agreements recently signed with Uganda, Lesotho and other partners.
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