The Africa Health Sovereignty Summit kicked off today in Ghana with a charge for all African leaders to build a resilient and self-sufficient health system.
The summit aims to reimagine global health governance, fostering a new era of health sovereignty rooted in national ownership, investment, and leadership.
The high-level summit brought together African Heads of State, policymakers, and global health stakeholders to discuss and endorse the Accra Initiative, a bold roadmap for reforming global health governance in alignment with national priorities for health sovereignty.
In his opening remarks, President Mahama emphasized the need for Africa to take charge of its health destiny, stressing that the continent must no longer be a passive recipient of aid but instead take full ownership of its health agenda.
“We need to scale up homegrown solutions. Treat health as a capital investment, ” he said.
Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo was more particular about the expansion and enhancing of the NHIS across African countries.
“We need a health front for Africa. Managed by the Africa Development Bank. We need homegrown solutions. And do more with traditional medicines. 25% of funds go to health infrastructure. We can do more. We need health security for all at the global level.” He said.
Key outcomes of the summit include, launch of the sustain initiative, endorsement of the Accra Compact, and Creation of a Presidential High-Level Panel to develop a reform agenda for global health governance, aligned with national and international efforts.
The summit under the auspices of President Mahama is a call to action, urging African leaders to take bold steps in building resilient health systems and asserting the continent’s leadership in shaping its health future.
