US signs health agreements with African nations

The U.S. signed four new global health memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Botswana, and Ethiopia, which total nearly $2.3 billion in funding, the State Department said on Tuesday.

"Each MOU includes clear benchmarks, strict timelines, and consequences for nonperformance – ensuring U.S. assistance delivers results against priority disease threats and reduces long-term dependence on U.S. assistance," the State Department said in a statement.

"Across the four MOUs, which total nearly $2.3 billion, the United States has committed almost $1.4 billion, with recipient countries co-investing more than $900 million of their own resources."

Kanishka Singh/Reuters