President John Dramani Mahama has called for greater health sovereignty among countries in the Global South, insisting that nations must move beyond dependence on foreign aid to build resilient healthcare systems.

Delivering the keynote address at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Mr Mahama said the gathering was not intended to lament past challenges but to chart a new path towards self-reliance in healthcare delivery.

“We have more global health organisations than ever, and yet country-level fragmentation has worsened. We do not come to Geneva to mourn the past. We come to build a future where a country’s health is not a byproduct of charity but the result of sovereign capability,” he said.

“This desire to take our health destinies into our hands imposes important responsibilities on us as African leaders,” he added.

The President made the remarks after expressing concern over the worsening impact of cuts in international health assistance to African countries, including Ghana.

Mr Mahama earlier disclosed that Ghana had lost about $78 million following the decision by the United States to suspend some forms of aid to African countries.

He also noted that global health assistance had declined by about 40 per cent since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, placing additional pressure on healthcare systems across the continent.

According to him, the situation underscores the urgent need for African countries to invest in stronger domestic health systems capable of withstanding global funding shocks.

“We must see health spending as an investment rather than just a social obligation because a healthy population is indispensable to economic progress,” he told the Assembly.