President John Dramani Mahama has called for a fundamental rethink of Africa’s reliance on traditional donor support for healthcare, saying declining international assistance makes it urgent for the continent to mobilise domestic resources and private capital.
According to President Mahama, recent funding shortfalls experienced by major global health initiatives demonstrate the vulnerability created by excessive dependence on external assistance.
Speaking at the Health Plenary of the Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt, he said the recent replenishment efforts by Gavi and the Global Fund fell significantly below their respective targets.
He said Gavi had targeted raising slightly above US$11 billion but secured about US$9 billion, leaving a shortfall of approximately US$2.9 billion.
President Mahama added that the Global Fund had targeted US$18 billion but raised about US$12 billion, resulting in a funding gap of roughly US$5 billion.
He said the situation had direct implications for African countries that depend on international support to finance critical health programmes.
President Mahama disclosed that Ghana was also affected by the withdrawal of US$154 million in annual support previously provided to the country’s health and education budgets.
Of that amount, he said US$74 million was allocated to health programmes, including HIV research, PEPFAR and antiretroviral treatment.
The President said Ghana had been compelled to find alternative resources to fill the resulting gap.
He linked the challenge to the broader case for health sovereignty, arguing that African countries must develop stronger domestic systems for financing and producing essential health products.
“ODA is going down, support for healthcare is dwindling,” President Mahama said, recounting a conversation with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo that influenced his decision to champion health sovereignty.
He said Africa could no longer afford to wait for external donors to determine the availability of resources for essential healthcare programmes.
President Mahama stressed, however, that international partners would continue to have an important role to play, but their resources should complement rather than substitute domestic investment.
He therefore called for closer collaboration between governments and the private sector to mobilise sustainable financing for Africa’s health systems.
The President said the objective of the Accra Reset and related continental initiatives is to build the capacity required for Africa to take greater control of its health outcomes.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️) Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭