Health data privacy concerns as Ghana rejects proposed US health deal

Ghana has turned down a proposed health agreement with the United States. An official said the draft would have let US groups access sensitive health data. The official said protections were not strong enough. Ghana became the latest African country to step away from the deal due to privacy worries.

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Arnold Kavaarpuo, executive director of Ghana’s Data Protection Commission, spoke to The Associated Press on Friday. Kavaarpuo said the access requested went beyond what the stated aim required. The US State Department did not immediately respond to AP questions about the comments.

Ghana health data deal faced privacy concerns

The US has made similar health deals with nearly two dozen African nations. The agreements followed the Trump administration’s America First approach to global health funding. The model started late last year. It replaced older health arrangements under the now-dismantled United States Agency for International Development.

The deals offered hundreds of millions of dollars to nations hit by US aid cuts. The funds aimed to support public health systems. They also aimed to help fight disease outbreaks. However, the agreements triggered questions about data privacy and safeguards for data use.

Ghana health data deal included wide access clauses

Kavaarpuo said the proposed agreement was worth around USD 300 million. Ghana would have received about USD 109 million over five years. Kavaarpuo said extra investments would have come from the Ghanaian government. Kavaarpuo said the talks involved the Data Protection Commission directly.

Kavaarpuo pointed to a clause on identifying individuals when deemed necessary. Kavaarpuo said this affected sensitive health data. "That, in effect, was outsourcing the health data architecture of the country to a foreign body,\" Kavaarpuo said.

The draft covered more than health datasets, Kavaarpuo said. It also included metadata, dashboards, and reporting tools. It further included data models and data dictionaries. Kavaarpuo said the plan would have allowed up to 10 US entities access.

Kavaarpuo said Ghana would not have needed to approve each use in advance. Access could happen without prior approval from Ghana, Kavaarpuo said. \"We did not get a sense that Ghana had any real governance oversight when it came to how the data was going to be utilised. It was more or less if they undertook an exercise, they will notify the country. So it was not a prior approval arrangement,\" Kavaarpuo said.

Ghana health data deal joins other African pushback

Other countries have raised similar concerns about the agreements. In February, authorities in Zimbabwe said they rejected the proposed deal. Zimbabwe cited issues around health data, fairness and sovereignty. Zambia was also reported to have pushed back on a section, though no decision was made.

Activists in Africa said some agreements lacked safeguards for data use. They also said some terms were limiting. In Nigeria, activists said the US committed to supporting mainly Christian faith-based healthcare providers. Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya also cited concerns about data and pathogen sharing.

Kavaarpuo said Ghana has told the US it rejected the proposal. Kavaarpuo added that Ghana asked for improved conditions for a better deal. Ghana’s decision kept current rules for health data access in place. The US position on Ghana’s concerns was not provided at the time.

With inputs from PTI