Hot SourceFormer President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama has arrived in Brussels, Belgium, as a leading global advocate for vaccine equity and replenishment under the Gavi Alliance initiative.
Mr Mahama is set to participate in the high-level Global Summit on Health and Prosperity through Immunisation, jointly convened by the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Gavi Alliance.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, MP, Spokesperson to the President and Minister, Government Communications, said in a statement issued on Wednesday, 25 June 2025, that the summit seeks to rally international support for Gavi’s bold 2026–2030 strategy.
The strategy aims to immunise an additional 500 million children, avert over 8 million deaths, and prevent up to 150 potential disease outbreaks, with an anticipated US$100 billion in economic returns.
President Mahama’s participation underscores the importance of global solidarity in ensuring equitable vaccine access, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. Drawing from Ghana’s own experience with immunisation campaigns during his presidency, Mr Mahama remains a committed voice in favour of fully funding Gavi’s mission.
During his presidency in 2013, he played a similar ambassadorial role to support Gavi’s efforts to expand life-saving vaccines to children in the world’s poorest regions.
“A fully funded Gavi is not just a health imperative, but an economic and security necessity,” President Mahama said ahead of the summit. “It will save millions of lives, enhance productivity, and safeguard our collective future.”
The summit provides a timely platform to galvanise renewed commitments from both longstanding and emerging donors. It also reaffirms the enduring value of Gavi’s collaborative model, which brings together governments, international institutions, civil society, communities, and industry leaders.
Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has delivered vaccines to over 1 billion children, averted more than 18.8 million deaths, and generated over US$250 billion in economic value across lower-income economies.
While in Brussels, President Mahama is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several global leaders, including the president of the EU Council of Ministers and philanthropist Bill Gates.
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