Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has won unanimous acclaim from African Heads of State during the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for spearheading the landmark Africa Health Sovereignty Summit held in Accra this August.
The summit, hailed as a pivotal moment for Africa’s future, reinvigorated discussions on the continent’s journey toward health self-sufficiency and resilience.
Leaders at the UNGA noted that the summit could not have come at a more critical time. With international healthcare funding shrinking, highlighted by the United States’ announcement of an £8 billion reduction in overseas assistance, the urgency for Africa to pursue its own solutions has never been greater.
In a special meeting of the Committee of Heads of State and Government of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), attended by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), leaders adopted an ambitious roadmap.
Central to their plan is the creation of regional drug manufacturing hubs to produce 60% of Africa’s pharmaceutical needs by 2040. This initiative is expected to drive down drug costs and generate thousands of jobs across the continent.
President Mahama detailed Ghana’s concrete steps toward health sovereignty, including removing the cap on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to broaden healthcare access, and the upcoming ‘Big Push’ initiative, which will channel substantial new investments into the health sector starting next year.
“The Accra Reset is driving Africa forward,” Mahama affirmed, reiterating his vision of an Africa where nations hold the reins of their own healthcare destinies.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
