By Maxwell Awumah, GNA
Ho, Aug. 6, GNA – The AI-enabled healthcare market is expected to expand from US$15 Billion in 2023, to approximately US$188 Billion by 2030, Dr George Agyekum Donkor, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has stated.
He said the global digital health market was projected to exceed US$900 Billion by 2030.
Delivering a keynote address at the International Conference on AI in Healthcare and Pharma (ICAIH), Dr Donkor, said it was time to rethink the healthcare architecture towards bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered diagnostics, research, manufacture medical technologies and build enterprises that served the masses on the continent.
The three-day conference being hosted by the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) is themed, “Transforming Healthcare from Expenders to ‘Healthpreneurs’: Leveraging AI as the Bedrock for Regional Cooperation.”
Dr Donkor said although the West African Development Outlook (WADO), projected growth of 4.8 per cent in 2025 for the ECOWAS sub-region, productivity remained modest, adding that nearly six million people were expected to be unemployed by the end of 2026.
He said notwithstanding these, health systems continue to face increasing demand, rising chronic diseases, and persistent shortages of skilled professionals.
The President of EBID said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had estimated a global shortage of approximately 11 million health workers by 2030, with Africa expected to experience some of the greatest pressures.
Dr Donkor said it was his belief that “Artificial Intelligence is not here to replace healthcare professionals, rather, it is a critical tool for extending AI reach and enabling better care with limited resources.”
He said AI was already reshaping healthcare across the entire value chain, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, logistics, pharmaceutical research, hospital administration and public health surveillance.
Professor Lydia Aziato, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), called for stronger collaboration among universities, industry and development partners to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into health education, research and healthcare delivery.
She said UHAS was committed to producing job-ready graduates equipped with AI and digital skills to meet the changing demands of the global health sector, adding that partnerships were essential to achieving that vision.
Prof. Alexander Ansah Manu, a Lecturer, Institute of Health Research (IHR), UHAS, and the lead organiser of the conference, described AI as an inevitable technological advancement that must be embraced and responsibly integrated into Ghana’s healthcare system to improve service delivery and health outcomes.
He said although AI might initially appear unfamiliar, like an “alien” with human-like characteristics, it should be viewed as a tool that would complement rather than replace human intelligence.
While AI was driven by data, algorithms, and statistics, healthcare must always preserve the human element of compassion, ethics, and professional judgment, he noted.
The main theme of the ICAIH is “Accelerating Adoption of Healthcare AI in Ghana: From Vision and Policy to Practice and Impact,” with key partners including the WHO, UNESCO, UNICEF, Health Facilities Regulator Agency (HEFRA), FDA, UGBS, UG, KATH, MOH, adb, Microsoft, Melcom, AU, EBID and Africa CDC.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
Reporter: Maxwell Awumah
Email: [email protected]