We’re not in Geneva to mourn aid cuts but to build health sovereignty, President Mahama tells 79th World Health Assembly

President John Dramani Mahama has called for stronger health sovereignty among countries in the Global South, urging nations to move beyond reliance on foreign aid and focus on building resilient domestic healthcare systems.

Delivering the keynote address at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, President Mahama said the gathering was not a forum to lament past setbacks but an opportunity to redefine the future of global health.

“We have more global health organisations than ever, and yet country-level fragmentation has worsened. We do not come to Geneva to mourn the past. We come to build a future where a country’s health is not a byproduct of charity but the result of sovereign capability,” he said.

He added that the push for self-reliance places important responsibilities on African leaders to prioritise sustainable health investments.

The President expressed concern about the rising impact of cuts in international health assistance to African nations, including Ghana. He revealed that Ghana had lost about 78 million dollars following the decision by the United States to suspend certain forms of aid to African countries.

He further noted that global health assistance had dropped by about 40 per cent since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing pressure on already strained healthcare systems across the continent.

According to him, the development highlights the urgent need for African countries to build stronger domestic health systems capable of absorbing external shocks.

“We must see health spending as an investment rather than just a social obligation because a healthy population is indispensable to economic progress,” he told the Assembly.