Minister for Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has said that government is taking steps to ensure that adequate funding is made available to fund treatment of Tuberculosis (TB).
He said as evidence, government has increased budgetary allocation for TB in the 2026 national budget.
‘‘We must close that gap. In Ghana, we are walking the talk, and we are taking steps to reverse this trend. In the 2026 national budget, TB has been given increased priority under the Health Sector allocations with specific attention to diagnostics, treatment, supply chains and community level activities,” Mr Akandoh said on December 2 at a pre-conference on TB in Accra.
He added that, “We are integrating TB within broader strategies such as the primary health care road map, ensuring TB receives both technical and financial recognition within district health planning. These decisions were not made lightly. They reflect Ghana’s political commitment to put TB financing on firmer, more sustainable ground.
Africa is urged to prioritize funding for tuberculosis interventions, warning that.
Other speakers stressed that TB will not be eliminated through good intentions alone. They noted that political leaders must deliberately invest in treatment, diagnostics, legislation, and community-level activities.
Between 2015 and 2023, Africa has seen a 42% decline in TB-related deaths and a 24% reduction in cases, indicating that the continent is making progress in the fight against tuberculosis (TB).
The region achieved the highest case-detection rate, with around 70% of TB cases being diagnosed and treated.
However, despite this progress, TB remains a significant public health challenge, with nearly 2.5 million people falling ill and 424,000 lives lost in 2022.
Other speakers emphasized that innovations such as digital X-rays, mobile technology, and AI will only have an impact if governments allocate the necessary resources to scale them.
