Health Minister urges greater?investment in Africa’s health?sector

Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, has called for greater investment in Africa’s health sector in order to scale-up the continent’s health security.

He made the call at the opening of the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra.

“Let us build a future where our investment, innovation, and integrity secure the well-being of our children,” he said.

“The task is immense, but not impossible, because the most radical act in global health today is simple, to believe that Africa deserves better, and to build accordingly. May we rise to the responsibility history has placed on us.”

Mr Akandoh said the Accra Summit was not about repeating old resolutions and polishing familiar declarations; stating that “It is about reimagining a future where Africa owns its health, where the well-being of our people depends not on goodwill from afar, but on wisdom, solidarity, and investment from within.

“As you might have realized, we no longer speak of compact, a first closed agreement. Now we speak of an initiative, a living, evolving commitment that brings endeavours, inviting us to work together step-by-step, altering our own story and shaping the future on our own terms.”

The Minister said the shift reflected clear feedback received from governments, partners, and communities across the continent that call for a more flexible, inclusive, and dynamic approach to health care sovereignty.

“What do we mean by health sovereignty? We do not mean isolation. We mean the power to make binding decisions, to deploy our own resources, and to lead the systems that determine whether our people live or die.

“For too long, Africa has been spoken to, rather than to listen to.

“Our health budgets and policies were shaped more by donor ceilings than by public need,” he stated.

Mr Akandoh said much of that architecture was designed in crisis, and crisis often freezes systems that should evolve.

He said health was a precondition for every liberty cherished – education, employment, equity, even peace.

He said a dependent health system could not defend itself, and a sick nation could not develop; adding, “This is why we must shift the paradigm.”

“Health should not be an afterthought. It should not be funded by charity after other more important sectors are handled.”

He noted that Africa’s national health insurance schemes,

Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative and investments in local pharmaceutical production were not perfect, but they declare a powerful truth.

“African problems demand African solutions. Let us recall Africa’s leadership in global health, from Alma Ata Primary Health Division to Abuja’s commitment for at least 15 per cent of national budget for health, and more recently, the Lusaka agenda.

“The question now is, how have we kept this promise? And if not, what holds us back? Dear leaders, sovereignty begins with honesty, the courage to measure ourselves against our own standards,” he said.

He said health sovereignty did not mean rejecting partnership, but demanding mutual respect and equal footing, being “present not only in the waiting room, but in the operating theater, designing, leading, and owning our health future.”

He said health sovereignty also meant investing in strong data systems so the realities were truly reflected.

“It means supply chain sovereignty. Above all, it means a political courage to fund health, even when the budget is tight. This is what we mean to do, because when health is financed wisely, it always pays for itself in increased productivity, stability, and improved quality of life,” Mr Akandoh emphasized.

He reminded participants that the Summit was not a mere meeting; declaring that “It is a living initiative.”

“We have a space for shared learning, open challenge, and collective ambition. It is a historical opportunity to co-create and shape the architecture of our health governance,” he said.

He urged participants not to close the meeting with just declarations, but with fierce, actionable commitments that ensure that Africa’s dignity no longer depended on the generosity of others.

Source: GNA

The post Health Minister urges greater?investment in Africa’s health?sector appeared first on Ghana Business News.

Read Full Story