President John Dramani Mahama says Africa cannot achieve true health sovereignty without significantly expanding local production of vaccines, medicines and critical healthcare supplies.

Speaking at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, the President warned that the continent remained heavily dependent on external systems despite accounting for a large share of the global disease burden.

“A continent that manufactures less than one per cent of its vaccines while carrying 25 per cent of global disease burden is not sovereign. It is vulnerable,” he said.

Mr Mahama explained that health sovereignty should not be mistaken for isolationism but rather the practical ability of countries to finance healthcare, regulate quality standards, manufacture medicines and manage health data independently.

“And by sovereignty, we do not mean isolationism. We’re advocating the practical capacity of a nation to finance its own core functions, regulate its own quality, produce its own medicines, and govern its own data,” he stated.

The President said overdependence on donor-funded systems had weakened local healthcare planning and limited investment in domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing.

He also stressed the need for resilient supply chains and stronger healthcare infrastructure across the continent.

His remarks come as several African countries intensify efforts to establish vaccine manufacturing hubs and pharmaceutical industries following lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global health experts have repeatedly warned that Africa’s heavy reliance on imported vaccines and medical products leaves the continent exposed during international health emergencies and supply disruptions.