Botswana: United States Signs Three-Year $487 Million Bilateral Memorandum of Understanding On Global Health With Government of Botswana

GABORONE, Botswana -- On December 23, 2025 in Gaborone, Christopher Gunning, U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires, and Botswana Minister of Health, the Honorable Minister Stephen Modise signed the bilateral health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and Botswana. This three-year, $487 million MOU outlines a comprehensive vision to save lives, strengthen Botswana's health systems, and advance shared health goals through co-investment. In addition to the MOU, a five-year Data Sharing Agreement will facilitate modernizing data systems with secure, interoperable digital tools that enhance disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness.

The United States plans to provide $106 million to Botswana through this three-year MOU, while the Government of Botswana is increasing its spending on its own health system by $381 million. Through this three-year MOU, the United States will strengthen Botswana's health system self-reliance, reform health care workforces, and work to sustain progress beyond Botswana's HIV targets, building upon Botswana's significant progress made with help from the United States over the past 22 years.

As a key part of the America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS) this three-year MOU between the United States and Botswana emphasizes direct bilateral cooperation, ensuring that funding flows directly to service delivery, reduces overhead costs, while ensuring every dollar/pula is used for maximum impact. This multi-year co-investment marks a significant chapter in the long-standing partnership between the United States and Botswana.

The AFGHS enables the United States to work directly with recipient countries and provide foreign assistance tailored to country-specific needs, ensuring assistance is more effective, efficient, and aligned with U.S. foreign policy goals. With its emphasis on strategic term-limited bilateral agreements and co-investment, the AFGHS strengthens local health capacities and promotes long-term sustainability for recipient countries.

The United States has been Botswana's largest global health partner, providing Botswana with more than $1.3 billion in foreign health assistance since 2004. The generous foreign assistance provided by the United States has helped save millions of lives, strengthen systems, and enhance global preparedness against infectious diseases.

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