Mahama to Host Landmark Africa Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra

By Joylinda Laryea / August 3, 2025

Accra is set to become the focal point of global health discussions as the city prepares to host the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit on August 5, 2025. The high-level gathering, convened by President John Dramani Mahama, will bring together African Heads of State, policymakers, and international health stakeholders to chart a new course for health governance across the continent.

Themed around “African Health Sovereignty in a Reimagined Global Health Governance Architecture,” the summit will address urgent challenges facing the global health system. Despite significant achievements in recent decades, including halving child mortality since 1990 and reducing maternal deaths by over 40% since 2000, emerging threats, shifting geopolitics, and reduced donor funding now threaten to reverse these gains.

President Mahama emphasised the need for urgent reforms, stating:

 “Africa must take charge of its health destiny not in isolation, but through determined, coordinated action. This Summit is our moment to lead not only in financing our systems but also in reshaping the rules that govern global health  rules which must reflect the voices and realities of our people.”

Summit Deliverables: The Accra Initiative

The meeting will culminate in the adoption of The Accra Initiative, an action-oriented framework designed to:

Establish shared principles and benchmarks for health sovereignty reforms.

Create a Presidential High-Level Panel to design a roadmap for reimagined global health governance.

Launch the SUSTAIN Initiative, promoting country-led, investment-driven health systems funded through domestic resources, private sector, and philanthropic support.

Endorse the Accra Compact, articulating Africa’s vision for equitable and inclusive global health governance.

The summit builds on earlier continental efforts by leaders like President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and the African Union to strengthen health financing and coordination, while also drawing inspiration from Mahama’s leadership during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

A New Era of Health Leadership

Observers say the gathering signals a bold shift toward African-led solutions in global health, with Accra poised to become the birthplace of a historic compact that could redefine health governance for decades to come.