Mahama outlines Ghana’s strategy to expand healthcare and produce medicines locally

President John Dramani Mahama has outlined Ghana’s strategy to expand healthcare access while developing the country’s capacity to produce medicines, vaccines and other health products locally.

Addressing the Health Plenary of the Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt, President Mahama said Ghana was implementing what he described as the “Accra Reset” through a combination of expanded healthcare coverage and measures designed to strengthen domestic health-sector production.

He said the agenda included the expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme, the introduction of Free Primary Health Care and the establishment of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.

“In Ghana, we are implementing the Accra Reset by expanding the National Health Insurance Scheme, introducing Free Primary Health Care, establishing the Ghana Medical Trust Fund,” President Mahama said.

He added that the government was also empowering the Food and Drugs Authority and the National Vaccine Institute as part of efforts to move Ghana from a consumer to a producer of health products.

The President said the strategy was intended to position Ghana to participate more meaningfully in regional health value chains rather than relying heavily on imported health products.

He argued that stronger domestic production could help retain foreign exchange, support industrial development and provide greater resilience against international supply disruptions.

President Mahama said Ghana’s experience formed part of a broader continental effort to build a self-sustaining African health ecosystem.

He pointed to Egypt’s experience in tackling Hepatitis C and Nigeria’s African Medical Centre of Excellence in Abuja as examples of African initiatives aimed at building domestic capacity and retaining health-related skills and resources on the continent. “We do not need to look outside our continent for proof that this works,” he said.