Africa must finance and lead its own health future, Vice President declares at Health Summit

Ghana's Vice President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has called for a decisive shift away from aid dependency, urging African countries to take ownership of their healthcare systems. She declared that healthcare must be treated as a critical national security and economic priority, driven by domestic investment and the development of robust health workforces.

Addressing the 2026 Annual Health Summit, the Vice President stressed the importance of strategically recruiting, equitably deploying, and effectively retaining healthcare professionals within Ghana. She highlighted the necessity of fostering stronger cross-sector collaboration to create an environment conducive to attracting and keeping health workers, especially in underserved communities. Structured labor migration arrangements were also proposed to protect Ghana's health system.

Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, detailed the government's ongoing efforts to bolster the health workforce. These initiatives include hiring additional professionals, expanding specialist and post-basic training programs, and improving the distribution of personnel to remote areas. The Minister affirmed that the government is actively working to fill workforce gaps, enhance skills, and ensure a more even spread of health staff to support quality healthcare delivery nationwide.

"People, not buildings, transform investments into results," the Minister stated, underscoring that a resilient, motivated, and well-distributed health workforce is fundamental to achieving Universal Health Coverage and improving health outcomes for all Ghanaians. This year's summit theme, "Building a Resilient Health Workforce to Accelerate the Attainment of Universal Health Coverage," reflects the critical focus on strengthening the human element of the healthcare system.

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People, not buildings, transform investments into results.