Health sovereignty a priority for 1.4b Africans – President Mahama declares
President John Dramani Mahama has urged African leaders to make health sovereignty a priority for their country as part of a broader strategy for the continent to achieve health sovereignty.
President John Dramani Mahama has emphasized the importance of health sovereignty for Africa's 1.4 billion population at the Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt. He urged leaders to treat health as a high-growth economic sector, rather than a charitable expenditure. Mahama argued that investing in health yields significant economic and social returns, citing the Copenhagen Consensus and the Lancet Commission.
He pointed out Africa's heavy reliance on foreign pharmaceuticals and vaccines, with the continent importing over 70% of its drugs and nearly 99% of its vaccines. The Ghanaian president highlighted the potential for local pharmaceutical manufacturing, driven by a captive market of 2.5 billion people by 2050 and savings from import substitution.
He also discussed the African Continental Free Trade Area's ability to create a unified market of 1.4 billion consumers. Mahama cited successful examples, such as Egypt's hepatitis C elimination and Nigeria's African Medical Centre of Excellence, showcasing how health sovereignty can create high-value jobs and affordability. He unveiled the Health Investment and National Gateway (HINGE) enabler, a digital platform to streamline regulations, clinical validation, and commercialization for innovators and investors.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
