By Albert Allotey
Accra, Sept 6, GNA – Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, has called on stakeholders in the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health to work towards turning political declarations at UN High-Level Meetings into practical solutions.
He said this would help bridge global health commitments with local realities, and build a healthier, stronger and more resilient Ghana.
Mr Akandoh made the call in a speech read for him at the 7Th National Strategic High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health organised by the Ghana NCD Alliance (GhNCDA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health held in Accra.
It was on the theme: “Bridging Global Commitments with Local Realities: Ghana’s Roadmap to the 4th UN High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on NCDs and Mental Health.”
The national strategic meeting was to review progress made on commitments since the UN HLMs in 2011, 2014, 2018, to identify shortfalls, and to help build a unified national advocacy position to present at the meeting later in September 2025.
Mr Akandoh urged stakeholders to advocate for stronger global partnerships that would provide technical cooperation, technology transfer, and capacity building.
He said, “For Ghana, this is a decisive opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to reduce premature mortality by one third by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3.4).”
He added that; “When we speak with one voice, Ghana will be heard; when we lead with courage, Ghana will be inspired; and when we act decisively, Ghana will save lives.“
Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, the Chairperson of the GhNCDA in a welcoming address, said NCDs do not only pose a health challenge, but a threat to national development, productivity, and economic stability.
She indicated that Ghana has made commendable strides, yet challenges remained significant – financing for the prevention of the diseases still limited, with patients bearing the burden of out-of-pocket expenditure.
Dr Wiafe-Addai said it was time persons living with NCDs were included in policy formulation because “They know it, have gone through it, and understand it better than the doctor.”
She said this year’s meeting was timely, which called for deep sectoral collaboration to create healthier environment to reduce risks factors.
Mr Labram Musah, the National Coordinator, GhNCDA, made a presentation on Civil Society Perspectives in Ghana’s NCD Response, Progress, and Challenges.
He said civil society organisations (CSOs) had played roles in championing NCDs policy advocacy, contributed to the passage of the critical policy frameworks such as the Public Health Act (2012) since the inception of political declaration on NCDs.
Others were the recent reforms in excise duties on health-harming products, monitoring of government commitments at both national and international levels including those made at successive UN HLMs, among others.
Mr Musah mentioned some of the challenges as inadequate domestic funding sources for NCD programmes, low commitment to earmarking health taxes for healthcare, and inadequate prioritisation of preventive healthcare as compared to curative care, among others.
He said the recent call on governments to at least earmark 50 per cent of excise tax from harmful products like tobacco and alcohol by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was in the right direction.
Madam Fiona Braka, the WHO Representve in Ghana, said the rising statistics of NCD deaths in Africa have been a concern to the organisation, adding that the diseases were among the leading cause of deaths in most countries.
She stated that in Ghana, NCD deaths accounted for 45 per cent while 64 per cent of the deaths in the Africa region was around people below 70 years of age, which showed that there was high premature mortality.
Madam Braka said, “The probability of premature deaths from NCDs is 21 per cent in Africa, higher than the global average of 18 per cent.
“So, we have a challenge. Only a handful of countries are on track to achieve the SDG target of 3.4 by 2030. Evidence available is that there is no country that can achieve this target by addressing only prevention, counselling, screening, and diagnosing.
“This required a combination of approaches to significantly impact NCD outcomes and to find appropriate strategies towards achieving universal health coverage target as set by SDG 3.8.”
She said the upcoming UN HLM on NCDs, and mental health scheduled later in the month of September 2025, was a pivotal global event aimed at renewing political commitments and accelerating actions to prevent and control NCDs while promoting mental health and wellbeing towards 2030 and beyond.
Madam Braka said the meeting would bring together heads of states, governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector to review progress, address challenges, and agree on new ambitions, declaration for integrated health system strategies, sustainable financing, and multi-sectoral governance.
“This would help formulate new frameworks for NCDs and mental health actions, emphasising equity, integration and society collaboration,” she stated.
She added that the UN HLM offers Africa, including Ghana, a critical opportunity to leverage global political momentum for integrated right best approaches, comprehensive mental healthcare inclusion, suicide prevention, and tackling of economic and social inequalities to improve health outcomes across the continent.”
Professor Kwasi Torpey, the Dean of the School of Public Health who chaired the occasion, expressed the hope that Ghana would be well represented at UN HLM to make a strong case for the country to address NCDs and mental health.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah