The United States of America (USA) is seeking amendments to, and the possible removal of some clauses in the $109 million health compact that Cabinet rejected, President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed.
He said Washington had requested further engagement on the compact, but Ghana would continue to stand firm in defence of its sovereign rights.
The proposed compact was rejected by Cabinet in April this year after President Mahama and Cabinet members described its conditions as humiliating and a threat to national sovereignty.
Addressing a citizens’ engagement, a town hall meeting, last Saturday at Goaso, the Ahafo Regional capital, the President said the Americans were requesting further engagement, while Ghana remained resolute in protecting its sovereignty.
He indicated that Ghana was not opposed to engagement, but would not accept terms that undermined the country’s dignity and independence.
Background
Ghana declined to proceed with a proposed bilateral health deal with the USA in April this year, marking a setback to President Donald Trump's administration to overhaul foreign aid.
According to Reuters, the decision, reported on April 28, 2026, came after the President Mahama-led government objected to the deal based on the conditions attached.
Other African countries expressed similar concerns about data governance in their negotiations with the United States.
Zimbabwe, for instance, raised issues with the deal, while a Kenyan court temporarily suspended the agreement pending the hearing of a case filed by a consumer protection group, stalling its implementation.
The US Embassy, however, clarified that its health assistance to Ghana had not stopped even after the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), explaining that funding for 2025, 2026 and 2027 was mapped out years in advance.
The Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Ghana, Rolf Olson, disclosed that the US health funding for Ghana in 2025 was $82 million, which had always been the plan, and that the allocation for 2026 was $53 million.
"That had always been the plan.
That was ongoing in 2025, when the changes with USAID became apparent.
Then the next amount of money in 2026 was $53 million. So again, this was money that was sort of planned over time.
The decisions on those things were to some degree because of the timing, which is independent of the discussions around the MoU," he explained.
Town hall
The town hall meeting climaxed the two-day working visit to the region as part of the President’s nationwide “Resetting Ghana Tour.”
The engagement, dubbed “#ResettingGhana Citizens Engagement with President Mahama,” brought together local chiefs, residents and government officials to discuss the government’s development agenda and ongoing projects in the region.
Addressing the gathering, President Mahama expressed gratitude to the chiefs and people of the Ahafo Region for their support in the 2024 General Election, stating that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won five out of the six parliamentary seats in the region.
He assured them of their fair share of national development.
The President highlighted key government interventions, including road construction under the Big Push Infrastructure Development Programme, economic recovery efforts, the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares), the District Assemblies Common Fund and preparations towards Ghana’s 70th Independence Anniversary celebration.
Highlighting improvements in the health sector, he said the government had implemented the Free Primary Healthcare Programme to provide accessible services to all Ghanaians without financial barriers, and established the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares, to support the treatment of chronic and high-cost medical conditions, including cancer and kidney diseases requiring dialysis.
Electric wheelchairs
The President also announced that the government would procure rechargeable electric wheelchairs for persons with disabilities (PWDs), with a pilot project set to begin soon.
On agriculture, he outlined measures to boost production through poultry farming, the Farmer Service Centres initiative and irrigation development projects.
As part of preparations for Ghana’s 70th Independence Anniversary, President Mahama said he had directed that roads within all 16 regional capitals, including Goaso, should be rehabilitated or constructed, and that work had already commenced on selected roads in Accra and would be extended to other regional capitals.
President Mahama assured chiefs and residents of further road projects, citing the Tepa–Mabang–Goaso road, being asphalted by Kofi Job Construction Limited, and the Sunyani–Ntotroso–Acherensua road project, undertaken through a partnership between Newmont Ghana and the government.
The President of the Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs and Paramount Chief of Ntotroso, Barima Twereko Ampem, commended the government for taking steps to address the region’s long-standing road infrastructural challenges, expressing optimism that continued investment would significantly improve the region’s road network before President Mahama’s tenure ends.
Health, agriculture, security
The tour began on Friday, October 9, with engagements in the health sector, where the President inspected and inaugurated two newly constructed Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds at Ashiayem and Nsuapimkrom in the Tano North Municipality.
The President also inaugurated the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) regional office in Goaso to strengthen the agency’s operational presence in the region.
He further inspected ongoing works on a 24-unit solar-powered mechanised borehole irrigation system and ancillary structures at Dantano in the Asunafo South District, being developed under the Feed Ghana Programme to support vegetable production, enhance food security, provide raw materials for agro-industries and boost agriculture in the region.
Similar facilities are being developed at Tanoso, Norbekaw, Kwapong, Asankore and Asibrim.
Road infrastructureunder Big Push
The President also inspected key road projects, notably the Tepa-Goaso Road under the Big Push Programme and the Ntotroso Bridge, which connects Acherensua, a major food-producing area.
During the inspection, he commended the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Agbodza, for keeping contractors on their toes, expressing confidence that most contracts awarded under the Big Push Programme by the end of 2025 would be completed by 2027.
The President was accompanied by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku; the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Agbodza; the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare; the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga; the Ahafo Regional Minister, Charity Gardiner, and other government officials.
