Source:- The Sikaman Times
President John Dramani Mahama has asked businesses in the private sector to work with African governments to speed up the industrialization of the continent's health sector through meaningful co-investment. On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the president spoke at the start of the World Health Expo Leaders Africa Summit in Accra. He said it was time for Africa to stop being dependent and start working together in ways that are based on innovation, shared responsibility, and creating long-term value.
Over 350 health leaders from around the world and Africa are at the Kempinski
Hotel Gold Coast City for the summit. These leaders include heads of state,
ministers, investors, and senior policymakers. The theme of the two-day event
is "Catalyzing Africa's Health Revolution through Investment, Innovation,
Impact, and Infrastructure." It is one of the most important places on the
continent for bringing together political leaders and private sector experts to
work toward a healthier future.
During his keynote speech, President Mahama urged vaccine makers to work with
governments to set up vaccine production centers in Africa. He also told drug
companies to make more biologics generics and essential medicines all over the
continent. The African Continental Free Trade Area, which connects a single
market of 1.3 billion people, offers unprecedented economic opportunities for
both global and local investors who are willing to invest in long-term
manufacturing capacity, according to the president.
President Mahama also asked biotechnology companies, diagnostic innovators, and
medical device makers to help. He told them to build research centers,
factories, and assembly plants in Africa. He said that these kinds of
investments would not only make it easier for African health institutions to
get medical supplies, but they would also help people learn new skills, drive
innovation, and create thousands of jobs.
The president said that Africa was often the last to get help during global
emergencies, which he learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the
crisis showed how weak the continent's supply chains are, how little it can
make, and how little it spends on primary healthcare. The president stressed
that Africa needs to take an active role in shaping global health systems and
making sure it has its own scientific leadership so that it can handle future
crises.
President Mahama praised the growth of young inventors in Africa, especially in
the fields of biotechnology, vaccine research, digital health, and medical
manufacturing. He was hopeful that their creativity would help build a new
continental health system that Africans would make for Africans. He also talked
about how the African Medicines Agency can help make sure that rules are the
same across the continent. He said this will make it easier and safer for
pharmaceutical companies to make more drugs.
It was also stressed that Ghana plays a big part in improving health across the
continent. The president talked about the Mahama Cares Trust Fund, which helps
families pay for medical care without going into debt. He said again that Ghana
is committed to developing long-term financing systems that make sure everyone
has equal access to healthcare.
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, told delegates that Ghana's
hosting of the summit shows how committed the country is to making a real
difference in Africa's health. He said that the meeting gives important chances
to align policy, investment, and innovation, and to make sure that all Africans
can get good healthcare.
The summit program has sessions that focus on getting people to invest,
improving healthcare infrastructure, and changing policies to support long-term
change. The second day will focus on health equity, innovation, and preventive
health, with a special focus on how technology is changing the way services are
delivered. Innovations in mobile health diagnostics and digital care tools led
by young people have already gotten a lot of attention.
Delegations from Guinea Bissau Senegal Somalia and Nigeria are there with top
global health officials. Leaders from the pharmaceutical, medical technology,
healthcare investment, and development finance sectors have also been part of
the talks. They are looking for ways to form public-private partnerships. The goal
of these partnerships is to find a balance between making money and improving
public health.
Mount Sinai International is one of the international groups that is there to
help with building infrastructure and providing services. People from the
Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also there, and their
main focus is on surveillance systems, outbreak response, and working together
across borders.
The people in charge of the Accra summit said that it builds on the success of
last year's first meeting in Kigali and is focused on turning high-level talks
into real actions. The commitments made at the summit are expected to shape
national priorities, build regional partnerships, and make health systems
stronger all over the continent.
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