Ghana’s Health Minister, Mintah Akandoh, has called on the African Union (AU) to develop sustainable mechanisms to finance the continent’s healthcare systems rather than relying heavily on external support.

According to him, African countries must prioritise investments in their own health sectors to safeguard the future of the continent and reduce vulnerability to external factors.

Mr Akando said strengthening domestic financing for health would enable African nations to build resilient healthcare systems capable of responding effectively to emerging health challenges.

"We must finance our own health. The vision of the Abuja Declaration remains as relevant today as it was when it was first endorsed in 2001. Africa's health system must increasingly be financed by African's own resources, predictable, sustainable and domestically generated.

"A continent that finances its own health secures its own future. It cannot be held hostage to changing priorities beyond its shores," he said.

He made the call during the ongoing Extraordinary Africa Union (AU) Health Summit in Accra on Tuesday, July 21.

The Health Minister stressed that Africa’s ability to protect the health of its people depended on a collective commitment by member states to take ownership of health financing and policy direction.

The AU Extraordinary Summit on Public Health is currently taking place in Accra, Ghana, from July 21 to July 22, 2026. The summit brings together Heads of State and health ministers to advance Universal Health Coverage and map strategies to end AIDS and tuberculosis by 2030.

Key leaders attending include UNFPA West and Central Africa Director, AU Commission leadership and Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is leading a side event focused on maternal, newborn, and child survival.

The event aims to adopt a fully costed continental roadmap for improving health outcomes and strengthening health systems across Africa