US aid suspension costs Ghana $78m, Mahama tells World Health Assembly

President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that Ghana has lost about 78 million dollars following the decision by the United States to suspend aid support to some African countries.

Delivering the keynote address at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on Monday, May 18, President Mahama said the withdrawal has dealt a significant blow to Ghana’s healthcare sector and its broader development efforts.

“In Ghana, health financing from bilateral and multilateral partners has significantly decreased since 2025. Ghana lost 78 million dollars in health funding following the closure of US aid programmes,” he told the Assembly.

He explained that the withdrawn funds previously supported critical interventions including malaria control, maternal and child health programmes, nutrition initiatives, HIV/AIDS testing, and the provision of antiretroviral drugs.

President Mahama, who is using the global platform to push for stronger health sovereignty for countries in the Global South, also expressed concern over the sharp decline in international support since the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to him, global health assistance has dropped by about 40 percent since 2020, leaving many African countries vulnerable.

“Six years after the last global pandemic, COVID-19, the world health architecture is changing rapidly. Overall, humanitarian assistance is reported to have declined by 40 per cent, and some of the largest Western economies have significantly cut their overseas development assistance,” he noted.

He further disclosed that the budget of the World Health Organisation has been severely affected by the withdrawal of US contributions.

“The World Health Organisation’s budget has been gutted by the withdrawal of US assistance, forcing the organisation to scale down programmes and undertake staff retrenchment,” he said.

President Mahama emphasised the urgent need for African nations to strengthen domestic healthcare systems and reduce dependence on external funding to safeguard public health delivery.

The 79th World Health Assembly has brought together global leaders, policymakers, and health experts to deliberate on sustainable healthcare financing and the future of global health governance.