ASC Director Mark Storella and Charles Holmes Publish “U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit: Zambia’s Lessons on Governance, Health and Partnership”

ASC Director Mark Storella and Charles Holmes, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health at Georgetown University, published an article in the Council on Foreign Relations’ Think Global Health site on the “U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit:  Zambia’s Lessons on Governance, Health and Partnership.” Think Global Health is an initiative of the Council on Foreign Relations in collaboration with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

Storella and Holmes make the case that the efforts of the new Hakainde Hichilema administration in Zambia to improve governance could have substantial payoffs for the Zambian health system and Zambia people. They highlight the U.S.-Africa Leadership Summit (December 13-15) as a prime opportunity for the U.S. to further engage and support Zambia’s progress and to advance Biden’s National Security Policy, including competition and even potential collaboration with China.

The United States has been a reliable partner with Zambia, even as it went through a period of erosion in governance, leading to Zambia becoming the first country to default on its international loans – many owed to China – under COVID. Zambia has demonstrated resilience precisely because its leaders are committed to strengthening governance and the international community and the United States have responded with restructuring of loans and continuing assistance.

The authors urge the Biden administration to challenge China to reinforce links between governance and health in Africa and conclude, “The Biden administration is wisely leaning into areas of shared values, priorities and aspirations with Zambia’s Hichilema administration…to amplify the impact of investments to improve the lives of people in African countries.”

The full article can be read here.