By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, July 22, GNA – Stakeholders at a high-level policy dialogue in Accra have called for urgent reforms in health financing and governance to enable Africa achieve universal health coverage and reduce its dependence on external funding.
The event, organised by the African Renaissance Trust and partners on the eve of the African Union Extraordinary Summit on Health, brought together policymakers, development partners and health experts to discuss sustainable pathways for strengthening health systems across the continent.
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang in a statement delivered on her behalf, said African nations faced a pivotal moment as traditional sources of development assistance became increasingly uncertain.
She urged governments to invest more in health systems, describing health as the foundation upon which economic productivity, education outcomes and national resilience depend.
“When populations are healthy, they are more productive, their children learn more effectively and economies are better able to grow and withstand shocks,” she said.
The Vice President outlined Ghana’s healthcare reforms, including the introduction of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund and the Free Primary Health Care Initiative aimed at reducing out-of-pocket healthcare costs and expanding preventive services.
She said Government was also strengthening local pharmaceutical and vaccine production through investments in the National Vaccine Institute and support for regulatory systems.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang welcomed the development of a health financing dashboard by the African Renaissance Trust, saying it would help improve transparency and accountability in tracking health financing commitments across Africa.
Ambassador Amma Twum-Amoah of the African Union Commission said accountability must remain central to the governance of health systems.
She observed that financing without accountability often led to inefficiency while accountability without reliable data limited effective oversight.
“We must demonstrate not only how much is allocated to health, but where resources go, whom they reach and what results they achieve,” she said.
She called for stronger planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation systems and greater participation by communities, civil society organisations, young people and the private sector.
The Ambassador also urged African countries to embrace innovation, including digital technologies, artificial intelligence and integrated health information systems, to expand access and improve service delivery.
However, she cautioned that innovation must be ethical, inclusive and responsive to African realities.
She said the forthcoming AU Summit offered an opportunity for African leaders to move from commitments to implementation and from dependence to greater self-reliance.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, former Tanzanian President said Africa must reposition itself to finance its own health priorities following significant reductions in external health aid.
According to him, the continent’s challenge was no longer identifying solutions but ensuring effective deployment of proven interventions.
He cited maternal and newborn health innovations capable of saving millions of lives if properly financed and scaled.
Drawing from Tanzania’s experience, Dr Kikwete said evidence-driven policies and national collaboration had contributed to substantial declines in maternal mortality rates over the years.
He noted that financing became meaningful only when it translated into improved services at health facilities and better outcomes for citizens.
“Citizens do not measure health financing by percentages of GDP. They ask whether medicines are available, whether health workers are present and whether healthcare facilities can meet their needs,” he said.
Dr Kikwete stressed that Africa’s health agenda would succeed only when financing, accountability and innovation worked together to deliver practical solutions at the community level.
The dialogue concluded with a shared call for increased domestic resource mobilisation, stronger health institutions, local pharmaceutical manufacturing and transparent accountability mechanisms to build resilient and self-reliant health systems across Africa.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba
July 22, 2026
Image attached
Reporter: Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Email: [email protected]