President John Dramani Mahama will tomorrow, 5 August 2025, host a landmark gathering of African Heads of State, policymakers, and global health stakeholders at the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit.
Convened by President Mahama, the summit will serve as a call to reimagine global health governance amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical and economic landscape.
It is themed: ‘The Accra Initiative: African Health Sovereignty in a Reimagined Global Health Governance Architecture.’
The summit aims to foster a new era of health sovereignty rooted in national ownership, investment, and leadership.
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Summit deliverables include the creation of a Presidential High-Level Panel to design a roadmap for a reimagined global health governance architecture aligned with national and international efforts, and a commitment to core principles of inclusivity, leadership, accountability, resilience, sustainable funding, and cross-sector collaboration.
It will also be used to launch the SUSTAIN Initiative to promote country-led and investment-driven health systems, powered by domestic resources, private sector engagement, philanthropic partnerships, and technical expertise; endorsement of the Accra Compact; and articulation of Africa’s vision for health sovereignty and a more equitable global health order.
A statement issued in Accra yesterday by the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said the meeting is important to sustain the progress made in global health over recent decades.
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The statement cited the reductions in child mortality, HIV/AIDS infections and deaths, and over 1.4 billion people living healthier lives due to improved tobacco control, cleaner air, and better access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare as some of the progress made.
However, the gains, the statement emphasised, are at risk as a result of shifting geopolitics, diminished multilateralism, reduced donor funding, and emerging health threats, which have exposed significant structural flaws in the global health system.
“The current global health governance framework designed in a different era — no longer adequately reflects today’s political, economic, or demographic realities. Reform is now crucial; it is urgent both nationally and internationally,” the statement revealed.
According to the statement, President Mahama sees the summit as the sustainable route to finance health systems on the continent.
“Africa must take charge of its health destiny not in isolation, but through determined, coordinated action. This Summit is our moment to lead not only in financing our systems but also in reshaping the rules that govern global health rules that must reflect the voices and realities of our people,” the statement quoted President Mahama as saying about the summit.
