By Linda Naa Deide Aryeetey
Accra, Dec. 6, GNA – The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has called on African leaders to accelerate commitments towards domestic health financing, local vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and stronger regional collaboration as the continent continues to face dwindling donor support for health.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the High-Level Summit on Regional Health Leadership and Sustainable Financing at the ongoing International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2025) in Accra, the AHF stressed that Africa must urgently strengthen its health sovereignty to prevent future crises.
Dr Penninah Iutung, AHF’s Executive Vice President, said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed Africa’s heavy dependence on external resources, a situation that must change if the continent was to adequately prepare for emerging outbreaks.
She said AHF’s presence across multiple countries enabled it to gather and share real-time data such as new disease sequences and variants across regions, for improved collaboration and global advocacy, including negotiations for the pandemic agreement.
“Health is national security, when our nations are healthy, our economies thrive, Africa cannot continue depending on the West for vaccines, diagnostics, and medicines,” she said.
Dr Iutung cited a recent report indicating that only two per cent of pharmaceutical products used in Africa were manufactured on the continent, describing the figure as a strategic vulnerability that must be addressed.
She added that with donor funding declining, African governments must increase local resource mobilisation and push ECOWAS to harmonise policies and anchor health financing within the African Union framework.
Dr Iutung said despite major progress in HIV prevention, it was still claiming more than 600,000 lives globally each year.
“It is true HIV is no longer a death sentence for those who know their status and access treatment early, but people still die of HIV, so prevention and investment remain critical,” she said.
Dr Iutung expressed concern over declining condom use among young people as HIV became perceived as manageable.
Many youths, she noted, now feared pregnancy more than HIV.
“Comprehensive HIV knowledge among young people remains as low as 30 percent in some countries. If messages do not reach them through channels they trust like TikTok or peer networks, we will continue to see rising new infections and STIs,” she said.
Dr Iutung said AHF was expanding its Girls Act, which empowered adolescent girls in Africa with knowledge on HIV, provided mentorship and supported economic empowerment initiatives.
The AHF Executive Vice President said the ICASA summit would consolidate years of regional-level conversations on domestic resource mobilisation, manufacturing, and leadership alignment.
“We need renewed commitment from our presidents, African governments must take responsibility for the health of their citizens. Donor support is welcome, but cannot be the backbone of our health systems,” she said.
Dr Iutung urged the media to play a stronger role in shaping public health narratives, countering misinformation, and spotlighting accountability in health financing.
She said journalists must amplify accurate, evidence-based information that supported prevention efforts and helped communities understand the urgency of sustainable health investments.
The High-Level Summit brought together African heads of state, ministers, regional bodies and global partners to discuss innovative financing models and pathways for strengthening Africa’s health security.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe