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Former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has called on African leaders to stop depending on foreign aid and take bold steps towards building resilient and self-sufficient health systems across the continent.
He made the appeal during the opening of the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit held on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, in Accra, Ghana. The summit brought together African Heads of State, health ministers, and international partners, to discuss ways to strengthen public health systems through local investment and leadership.
President Mahama, who gave the keynote address, said Africa must stop acting like the sick patient in the global health sector and instead take charge of its own health agenda.
“This summit is not just a meeting, it is a call to action,” he said. “Africa must no longer be the patient. We must be the drivers, the architects, and the advocates of our own health destiny.”
He stressed that the continent has the capacity to solve its own problems and that African governments must invest more in their national health systems, reduce dependency on external donors, and promote home-grown solutions that fit the continent’s unique challenges.
Mahama pointed out that recent cuts in donor aid have already started affecting key health programmes across Africa, including Ghana’s Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative, which has long been hailed as a successful model for primary healthcare delivery in rural areas.
The former president described the situation not just as a funding problem but as a moral and strategic failure of global solidarity, and a wake-up call for African countries to take full ownership of their healthcare priorities.
He thanked the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, for attending the summit and for the WHO’s continued technical support to Ghana’s health system. Dr. Tedros also commended Ghana for making efforts to increase local funding for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
According to Dr. Tedros, donor fatigue and global economic pressures have led to sharp reductions in health aid across many African countries, putting millions of lives at risk, especially children and women.
“Health is not just a service. It is a right. It is also an investment in the future of any nation,” Dr. Tedros said.
Ghana’s Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, also addressed the summit. He urged African countries to come up with intentional, well-planned strategies focused on wisdom, domestic financing, and African-led leadership in the health sector.
He said, “The solutions to our problems must come from within. The time to act is now. We need vision, unity, and sustained effort to secure the health future of our people.”
President Mahama used the platform to appreciate the support of international partners like the African Union, the Rockefeller Foundation, Georgetown University, and the Obasanjo Foundation, saying their contributions were helping to spark important conversations and reforms across the region.
He also delivered a powerful message that Africa does not suffer from lack of ability, but rather from a lack of proper perspective and political will. “Health must no longer be seen as a cost. It is the currency of dignity, and every African deserves that dignity,” he said.
At the end of the summit, several key outcomes were announced, including:
The Accra Compact, a new document outlining a shared vision for African health sovereignty.
The formation of a Presidential High-Level Panel to drive leadership and accountability.
The launch of the SUSTAIN Initiative, a programme that will promote domestic health financing models.
The endorsement of The Accra Initiative, focused on transforming how African countries govern and fund their health systems.
The summit made a strong case for Africa’s health future to be led from within, with emphasis on public-private partnerships, stronger community engagement, and technology-based solutions to close healthcare gaps across the continent.
The Accra summit is expected to set the tone for future African Union engagements, especially with health now being recognised as a security, economic, and development priority for the continent.
