Zimbabwe has officially withdrawn from a proposed $350 million US health funding deal after President Emmerson Mnangagwa halted negotiations, citing concerns over national sovereignty and a 'one-sided agreement'. Speaking from Harare on Thursday, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information, Nick Mangwana, revealed the government's reasoning, emphasising that the dignity of Zimbabwean citizens 'is not for sale'. "You may ask, 'How about $328 million?' It wasn't worth it," Mangwana said. "There are certain things that you will say, 'I will not sell at any price if there's nothing in it for me'." He explained that the US terms would have required Zimbabwe to hand over its citizens' biological data for research, warning of commercial exploitation without local benefit. "They're going to make a lot of money out of Zimbabweans, while Zimbabweans get pretty much nothing. The deal was not in our interest at all," Mangwana added. The secretary said Zimbabwe requested that Washington also share its biological data as part of an exchange, but the request was firmly rejected. "What's good for the gander must be good for the goose; what's good for the goose must also be good for the gander," he added. "Africans are not guinea pigs. We saw some racial element to that; that's why we said no." Addressing concerns about potential disruption to health support, Mangwana confirmed that Zimbabwe has been managing HIV treatment with its own resources for over a year, stressing that the government does not base its policies on 'donor money'. "The US is always seeking critical minerals," he underlined. "We are not in a rush to get rid of our minerals; the next generations can use them - even seven generations down the line. We are not in a rush." The Zimbabwean nation echoed its government's stance, expressing strong support. "America can't be trusted. With what Trump is doing now, I would do the same if I was the leader. America can't be trusted as of now," said Tendai Mugove, a Harare resident. Eliot Chinono, another local, praised the government's approach, saying, "[It] shows that they have the citizens at heart. It is good that our government doesn't just follow what everyone else is doing, but instead, they put our people first." It comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Harare and Washington, as Zimbabwe seeks to assert a national sovereignty approach in managing critical health issues, independent of international funding conditions. | Video Viory