Ghana hosts the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra -

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Ghana has marked a historic milestone by successfully hosting the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra, an event held under the visionary leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, with strong backing from the Ministry of Health and key African and global health partners. The landmark event brought together African Heads of State, global health stakeholders, policymakers, and development partners to chart a new course for health governance across the continent.

Held under the compelling theme, “The Accra Initiative: African Health Sovereignty in a Reimagined Global Health Architecture,” the summit marked a defining moment in Africa’s collective journey towards true health sovereignty.

Delivering a powerful keynote address, President Mahama declared that “Africa must no longer be the patient; it must be the architect and advocate of its own health destiny,” describing the summit as an opportunity to redesign a global health architecture that has too often excluded African voices, needs, and innovations.

“We are called to build systems that do more than respond to crises—we must build systems that generate resilience, produce equity, and amplify dignity,” he emphasised.

Highlighting Ghana’s strides towards achieving health sovereignty, President Mahama cited the uncapping of financing for the National Health Insurance Scheme, which has opened a fiscal space of approximately GH₵3.5 billion to support broader and deeper health coverage.

“We have launched the Ghana Medical Trust Fund—a sovereign innovation mobilising public, private, and philanthropic capital to tackle chronic disease burdens like hypertension and diabetes,” he added.

He also announced the forthcoming launch of Ghana’s Primary Health Care Programme, which, coupled with the recruitment of community health volunteers, will significantly enhance preventive healthcare and improve the general wellness of citizens.

Addressing participants, Health Minister Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh emphasized that the purpose of the summit is not to “repeat the comforting rhythm of old resolutions or polish the language of declarations,” but rather to reimagine and co-create a future in which Africa owns its health destiny.

“Where the care of African lives does not depend on goodwill from afar, but on wisdom, solidarity, and investment from within,” he stated.

“That is what we mean by health sovereignty. Not isolation, but the ability to make binding decisions, deploy domestic capacity, and exercise leadership over the systems that determine whether our people live or die,” the Minister added.

He further underscored the centrality of health to national resilience and development:

“The quality of our health systems determines whether pandemics destabilise us or we stand firm. Whether our children survive infancy. Whether our economies can compete. Whether our rural clinics remain open when the rains come and the roads wash away.”

“Health is an economic imperative, a security investment, and a sovereignty issue,” he concluded.

The summit culminated in articulating Africa’s unified vision for a just and equitable global health order. High-level panel discussions were held to develop a comprehensive roadmap for reimagining global health governance from an African-led perspective.