President John Dramani Mahama will host the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit on 5th August 2025.
The announcement, made through a press release signed by the Minister of State for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, revealed that the summit is expected to convene African Heads of State, international health stakeholders, and senior policymakers for a transformative conversation on reimagining global health governance in light of an evolving geopolitical and economic landscape.
According to the statement, the summit is aimed at fostering a new paradigm of health sovereignty in Africa rooted in national ownership, increased domestic investment, and visionary leadership.
Urgency for Change
The statement noted that, despite significant global health progress in recent decades including a halving of child mortality since 1990, a 40% reduction in maternal deaths since 2000, and a marked decline in HIV/AIDS-related fatalities since 2010 — these gains are now under threat.
Emerging global health threats, declining donor support, and weakening multilateralism have exposed deep structural flaws in current health governance systems.
Designed in a bygone era, these systems, the release argues, no longer reflect contemporary political, economic, or demographic realities.
“The time for reform is now. Both national governments and the international community must act with urgency and purpose. Countries must assume greater responsibility for the governance and financing of their health systems,” the release stated.
African-Led Reform Agenda
In response to these challenges, the Accra summit will spearhead an African-led global initiative aimed at mobilising political will and global consensus around a new vision for equitable health governance.
The centrepiece of the summit will be the endorsement of the Accra Initiative, described as a bold and action-oriented document that sets out shared principles, key performance benchmarks, and a clear roadmap for reform.
Among the major deliverables outlined in the statement are:
- Creation of a Presidential High-Level Panel to develop a comprehensive framework for overhauling global health governance.
- Launch of the SUSTAIN Initiative, which aims to promote country-led, investment-driven health systems built on domestic resources, private sector support, philanthropy, and expert collaboration.
- Commitment to fundamental principles such as inclusivity, leadership, accountability, resilience, sustainable financing, and cross-sector partnerships.
- Endorsement of the Accra Compact, which will articulate Africa’s unified vision for health sovereignty and a more just and inclusive global health architecture.
The summit, according to the Minister’s statement, builds on previous efforts led by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and the African Union, aimed at enhancing continental health financing and collaboration. However, it is also a call for more radical and urgent reform of the global health order to give Africa a stronger and more central role.
A Legacy of Leadership
The press release further noted that the Accra summit draws inspiration from President Mahama’s recent address at the Global Summit on Health and Prosperity in Brussels, as well as from his leadership during the 2014 Ebola crisis, during which he coordinated regional efforts to successfully contain the epidemic.
Mr Mahama, in remarks quoted in the statement, emphasised the need for Africa to seize control of its health future:
“Africa must take charge of its health destiny not in isolation, but through determined, coordinated action. This Summit is our moment to lead not only in financing our systems but also in reshaping the rules that govern global health—rules that must reflect the voices and realities of our people.”
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