Sarkodie applauds Mahama over rejection of US health compact

Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie expressed his admiration for President John Mahama's decision to reject a United States health compact. In a post on X, Sarkodie praised the President's stance as a move to restore Ghana's dignity and respect internationally. He wrote, "Thank you, Mr. President… Hopefully one day we gain back the full respect deserved." This stance came after President Mahama announced that the Cabinet had swiftly rejected the proposed health compact due to concerns over certain provisions.

At a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on September 25, 2026, President Mahama explained that the Health Ministry had reviewed the compact, which was intended to replace funding lost when USAID support ended. He stated, "And so the compact was brought to the cabinet, and we flagged several things in the compact."

Among the issues raised was a provision requiring Ghana to disclose its pathogen profile, which included information on diseases endemic to the country. Mahama questioned the necessity of this, noting that it would involve sharing information about diseases like malaria, common in Ghana. He also criticized the requirement for Ghana to provide medical records, deeming it "strange."

Additionally, the compact demanded that Ghana contribute funding towards the program, while simultaneously restricting the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) from inspecting medicines and medical products transported into the country under the agreement. Mahama described these conditions as "humiliating" and emphasized that the Cabinet rejected the compact very quickly.

"I mean, it was humiliating. And so it was the compact that was thrown out in record time in our cabinet. I've never seen anything thrown out as fast as that. And so, of course, we rejected it," he said.