Prez Mahama justifies rejection of U.S. Health Compact, says it was humiliating

Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama has labeled a proposed US health compact as "humiliating," citing concerns over provisions that involve sharing the country's medical records and committing counterpart funding. The President made these remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on September 25, 2026, after the Cabinet raised objections to the proposal.

The compact aimed to replace funding previously provided through USAID, but the Ministry of Health flagged several issues before presenting it to Cabinet. Among the concerns was a provision requiring Ghana to share its pathogen profile and medical records, a request Mahama found particularly objectionable, questioning why another country would need such sensitive information.

Another contentious point was the requirement for Ghana to provide counterpart funding, while the agreement also stipulated that medicines and medical products under the program would not be subject to inspection by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). These provisions contributed to the quick rejection of the compact by the Cabinet, with Mahama noting it was the most swiftly discarded proposal in Ghanaian political history.

The rejection followed the restructuring of US foreign assistance, which Mahama linked to the emergence of the Accra Reset initiative, emphasizing the need for greater health sovereignty in the Global South. He argued that the disruption of external health financing exposed the vulnerability of health systems reliant on foreign aid.

At a separate event on the Accra Reset, Mahama launched a report titled 'A Sovereign Future for Health,' outlining recommendations to strengthen health systems and reduce dependence on external funding. The President stressed that the goal was not isolation but to build more equal and sustainable partnerships, focusing on local production of medicines and vaccines, enhancing research capacity, and bolstering health systems.