President John Mahama joined fellow heads of state and government on Monday at a high-level meeting of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

The gathering, which focused on the theme “Securing Africa’s Health Sovereignty: Political Leadership for Sustainable Health Financing, Local Manufacturing, and Pandemic Preparedness”, underscored Africa’s quest to strengthen its health systems in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is ahead of the opening of the General Debates of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Addressing the meeting, President Mahama stressed the urgent need for Africa to take ownership of its health security, insisting that investments in health must be seen as central to development.

“Health is not a cost. It is the engine of productivity and the foundation of sovereignty,” he declared.

President Mahama is expected to deepen that conversation on Tuesday when he hosts a side event at 8:00 p.m. GMT on the topic “The Accra Reset: Reimagining Global Governance for Health and Development.”

The session will bring together global partners and policymakers to explore new frameworks for health governance and development cooperation.

President Mahama’s intervention comes at a time when Africa is pushing for greater self-reliance in health financing, local vaccine production, and preparedness for future pandemics, to ensure that the continent is not left vulnerable in global health emergencies.