By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Aug 05, GNA – As part of the outcomes of the African Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra, President John Dramani Mahama has suggested two new commitments – the Task Force and SUSTAIN Initiative to his fellow African leaders
He announced the formation of a Presidential High-Level Task Force on Global Health Governance—a convening platform to engage global and continental partners to redesign the health governance system for the world they live in now, not the world of yesterday.
Secondly, the launch of the SUSTAIN Initiative—Scaling Up Sovereign Transition and Institutional Networks.
The President said this in his keynote address at the opening of the African Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra.
He said the two new recommendations were a bold, African-led platform that would Align national budgets with health priorities.
He noted that it would mobilise sovereign, diaspora, and philanthropic capital; foster cross-border learning, innovation, and accountability.
“I extend an open invitation to all nations represented here: join us in building an African health investment ecosystem driven by purpose, powered by equity, and anchored in sovereignty,” he stated.
President Mahama said the Accra Africa Health Sovereignty Summit was more than a policy forum; saying “it is a moral call, a strategic milestone, and a continent-wide awakening”.
He commended stakeholders who supported the organization of the event, namely the Afro-Champions, the African Union, the Rockefeller Foundation, Georgetown University and the Obasanjo Foundation.
President Mahama said the partnership reflected the new multilateralism the world needs—grounded in co-creation, not extraction, and based on mutual respect, not charity.
“In a world where floods erase borders and diseases ignore passports, we must remember one truth: in the face of suffering, we are human. Titles disappear. What remains is our dignity, our solidarity, and our shared resolve to protect life,” he said.
“Health is not a luxury. It is the foundation of freedom. It is the currency of our dignity. It is our greatest public good.”
The President said: “Africa’s pain is not a deficit. It is a depth of perspective.”
“Africa’s healing is not a plea. It is a rallying cry. Our sovereignty is not isolation—it is co-creation. Together, let us reset the moral compass of global health.”
He called for the building of systems that generate wealth, uphold dignity, and expand purpose.
“Let us not only reimagine our future—let us own it,” the President said.
GNA
