Ghana’s Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh on Wednesday delivered a forceful call for Africa to take full ownership of its health future, declaring the continent’s “health destiny is non-negotiable” during day two of the WHX Leaders Africa Summit.
Akandoh told delegates that Africa must now be defined not by gaps but by its growing capacity to build resilient systems. He said the continent’s health sovereignty long considered aspirational is “rapidly emerging as reality” as countries expand vaccine production, strengthen digital health tools and assert national leadership over their health agendas.
The minister stressed that true resilience requires deliberate investment in secure vaccine and medicine supply chains, efficient laboratories and responsive logistics systems. Research, he added, must be grounded in community needs and directly linked to policy, avoiding duplication and ensuring impact.
On global cooperation, Akandoh issued a clear message: partnerships must align with Africa’s priorities. He cited Ghana’s work with Pfizer as an example of collaboration that builds local capabilities rather than substituting them. “Africa wants collaborators, not directors,” he said.
Akandoh outlined Ghana’s ongoing reforms, including expanded primary healthcare delivery, modernized health infrastructure and efforts to strengthen the National Health Insurance Scheme. The goal, he said, is a system that can withstand shocks, deliver equitable care and support long-term national development.
He urged African leaders to choose decisive action over repeated declarations, emphasizing that the moment is right for a shift toward sustainable, locally led health governance. “Health sovereignty is within reach,” he said. “Let us build the resilient, sovereign systems Africa deserves once and for all.”
The summit brought together heads of state, health ministers, global health innovators, pharmaceutical executives, researchers, investors and development partners across Africa and abroad, all focused on accelerating a new era of African health leadership.