Ghana loses US$78m in health support after US aid cuts
President John Dramani Mahama says Ghana lost about US$78 million in health support following cuts to some United States aid programmes, affecting malaria, HIV/AIDS and maternal healthcare services.
He said the reduction in support had placed additional pressure on parts of the country’s healthcare system, including malaria interventions, maternal and child healthcare, nutrition programmes, HIV testing and the supply of antiretroviral drugs.
President Mahama made the remarks while addressing the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on May 18, 2026.
He said the decline in donor support showed that African countries needed to strengthen domestic healthcare financing and reduce dependence on foreign assistance.
“The old system of donor dependency is past its sell-by date,” Mr Mahama told delegates at the assembly.
According to him, the withdrawal of support from some Western countries had disrupted healthcare financing across Africa and exposed weaknesses in national health systems.
President Mahama said the World Health Organization had also scaled down some programmes and reduced staff numbers following the withdrawal of US assistance.
He added that the direct impact of aid suspensions across Africa could push about 5.7 million people into poverty by the end of 2026.
The President said government had responded by increasing local investment in the health sector.
According to him, the removal of the cap on the National Health Insurance Fund released an additional GH¢3 billion for healthcare spending, while the 2026 Budget allocated GH¢34 billion to the sector.
President Mahama said government was also deploying digital systems, including artificial intelligence tools, to detect fraudulent claims under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
He further stated that Ghana had started implementing a free primary healthcare programme aimed at widening access to basic healthcare services, particularly in rural communities.
The President said the National Health Insurance Scheme currently covered about 66 per cent of the population, leaving about one-third of Ghanaians outside the system.
Mr Mahama said Ghana was also working towards reducing dependence on vaccine support programmes and hoped to transition away from Gavi assistance by 2030.
He called for reforms within the global health system, warning against reform processes that protected existing institutions without addressing inefficiencies.
“We cannot prioritise institutional comfort over human survival,” he said.
