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Els MBN360 News
Ghana’s Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has emphasized the need for Africa to build its own health capacity to lead the continent by 2050. Speaking at the World Health Expo (WHX) Leaders Summit 2025, Akandoh stressed that Africa must invest in regional manufacturing hubs, strengthen pharmaceutical and medical device production, harmonize regulatory systems, and build strong public-private partnerships to accelerate technology transfer.
Akandoh’s call is echoed by other African leaders, including former President John Mahama, who urged Africa to be the architect of its own health destiny, shifting from dependency to autonomy in managing health systems and responding to future pandemics.
The Africa Health Sovereignty Summit, held in Accra, brought together health ministers, policymakers, experts, and development partners to discuss pathways to achieving health independence and resilience across the continent. The summit emphasized the need for Africa to take ownership of its health agenda, investing in strong data systems, supply chain sovereignty, and political courage to fund health initiatives.
African countries have already made progress, with Ghana launching the Ghana Medical Trust Fund to mobilize public, private, and philanthropic capital to tackle chronic diseases. The continent also aims to strengthen its health workforce, with a new 10-year plan to address the projected shortfall of six million health workers by 2030.
As Africa strives for health sovereignty, the WHX meeting serves as a catalyst to accelerate leadership and mobilize strategic investment, forge meaningful alliances, and accelerate the emergence of world-class, resilient healthcare across the continent.
