President John Dramani Mahama has invited international vaccine producers, pharmaceutical firms, and private health investors to work with Ghana to establish diagnostic centres, vaccine production hubs, and medicine manufacturing plants.
He made the call at the World Health Expo Leaders Africa Summit in Accra on Tuesday [December 9, 2025].
The president said Ghana wants private partners to help expand diagnostic imaging, laboratory services and specialised care across the country.
Addressing the summit, President Mahama said: “We call on vaccine manufacturers to partner with us to build African vaccine production hubs, essential medicine manufacturers to establish assembly plants, R&D centres and fabrication facilities here in Africa.”
He said the government is dealing with a shortage of functional diagnostic equipment in public hospitals, which is affecting the rollout of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as Mahama Cares.
According to the president, the board of the fund told him two weeks earlier that major hospital equipment across the country had broken down.
He said one government hospital built nine years ago has no working diagnostic equipment, adding that patients who need CT or MRI scans are sent to private facilities.
President Mahama said the government will only invest in new diagnostic and treatment systems through partnerships with the private sector.
He referred to the GH¢2.1 billion allocation to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund announced by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, noting that non-communicable diseases now account for more than 45 per cent of the country’s disease burden.
The president said poor access to diagnostic and treatment services, especially outside Accra and Kumasi, continues to place many families under extreme pressure.
He cited the case of a former assemblyman who had to relocate his family to Kumasi for dialysis twice a week and later died after selling his house, car and other property to pay for treatment.
He told the summit that Ghana’s appeal comes at a time when Africa is building stronger health systems.
He said the African Continental Free Trade Area provides a market of 1.3 billion people and the African Medicines Agency is improving regulatory processes.
Ghana’s investment pitch to the global health industry is anchored on three programmes. These are the Ghana Medical Trust Fund for managing non-communicable diseases, a universal free primary healthcare initiative and the retooling of health facilities through public-private partnerships for modern imaging, better laboratory systems and stronger dialysis services.
“These three pillars form the backbone of Ghana’s health transformation agenda,” President Mahama said.
He urged the more than 2,000 participants, including pharmaceutical executives, biotech firms and development financiers, to back their words with action.
“Let this summit be remembered not for discussions but for commitments that come out of it. Not for intentions but for investments. Not for aspirations but for implementation,” he said.
The two-day event at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City was held under the theme “Catalysing Africa’s Health Revolution through Investment, Innovation, Impact and Infrastructure”.
President Mahama said Africa must not allow itself to remain on the margins of global health decisions, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic showed the continent’s exposure when support arrives late in times of crisis.
He said the current period presents an opportunity for Africa to strengthen its place in global health development.
