President John Dramani Mahama Urges African Sovereignty in Healthcare at AU Extraordinary Summit | Discuss Ghana

President John Dramani Mahama has delivered a strong charge to African leaders at the African Union Extraordinary Summit on Universal Health Coverage and Ending AIDS in Accra, urging member states to transition away from dependency on external aid and take control of the continent's health systems.

Addressing African heads of state, health ministers, and international delegates, President Mahama highlighted the sharp drop in global health development assistance—which fell from nearly $50 billion to $39.1 billion in a single year—as an urgent catalyst for self-reliance.

He framed the push for continental health sovereignty as a modern liberation struggle against disease, inequality, and systemic dependency, calling on leaders to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand local pharmaceutical manufacturing and build resilient hospitals. Pointing to domestic efforts like the Accra Reset Initiative and the Mahama Cares (Ghana Medical Trust Fund) scheme, President Mahama pressed member nations to honor the 2001 Abuja Declaration by dedicating at least 15 percent of their national budgets to public health investments.

Achieving health sovereignty through domestic funding and local manufacturing remains critical for safeguarding public health resilience across Africa.