Make health sovereignty a priority for Africa – Mahama
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 called upon African leaders to prioritize health sovereignty in their countries as part of a strategy to achieve health sovereignty for the entire continent. At the Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt, Mahama emphasized that treating health as a charitable cost is outdated and that it should be positioned as an investable, high-growth economic sector.
He stressed that investing in health drives human capital, manufacturing, job creation, and macroeconomic stability, citing global evidence that shows targeted investments in maternal and newborn care can yield significant economic and social returns. Mahama highlighted Africa's dependency on foreign pharmaceuticals and vaccines, noting that the continent imports over 70% of its pharmaceuticals and nearly 99% of its vaccines, leading to billions of dollars leaving African economies annually.
He urged governments to move beyond treating health as an expense item in their budgets and instead build factories, integrate supply chains, fund innovators, and secure the future of their citizens. Mahama pointed out that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provides a single continental market of 1.4 billion consumers, which is crucial for the development of a vibrant local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
He emphasized that the AfCFTA and local pharmaceutical manufacturing rest on four pillars, including a captive market, saving foreign exchange through import substitution, and leveraging the unified market. Mahama cited successful examples of health sovereignty, such as Egypt's elimination of hepatitis C, Nigeria's African Medical Centre of Excellence, and Ghana's Accra Reset initiatives.
To further promote health sovereignty, he introduced the Health Investment and National Gateway (HINGE) enabler, a digital platform that streamlines regulations, clinical validation, and commercialization for innovators and investors. Mahama urged African leaders and stakeholders to collaborate through initiatives like Business United for Mothers, Babies, and Youth to build the future of their citizens.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
