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Accra will take centre stage this week as President John Dramani Mahama convenes African leaders, global policymakers and public health experts for a landmark summit on the continent’s future in global health governance.
Dubbed the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit, the high-level gathering will take place on 5 August 2025 and aims to usher in a new era of health autonomy for African nations under the banner of the Accra Initiative: African Health Sovereignty in a Reimagined Global Health Governance Architecture.
President Mahama, who will host the event, says the summit represents a defining moment for Africa to take charge of its health future. “Africa must take charge of its health destiny—not in isolation, but through determined, coordinated action,” he said ahead of the summit. “This Summit is our moment to lead not only in financing our systems but also in reshaping the rules that govern global health—rules that must reflect the voices and realities of our people.”
The summit comes amid mounting concerns over Africa’s vulnerability in the face of emerging global health threats, waning donor funding and a shifting geopolitical climate. Though recent decades have seen progress—halving child mortality since 1990 and maternal deaths by 40% since 2000—these gains are now under threat due to systemic weaknesses in the current global health system.
The summit will challenge outdated governance models and mobilise political will for bold reforms, placing national ownership, domestic investment and African leadership at the core of the health agenda
A key outcome of the summit will be the formal adoption of the Accra Initiative, a comprehensive roadmap°° with shared principles° and targets to overhaul global health governance in line with Africa’s health sovereignty priorities.
Among the headline deliverables are:
- The establishment of a Presidential High-Level Panel to design a reimagined global health governance framework;
- A continental commitment to inclusivity, leadership, accountability and sustainable financing;
- The launch of the SUSTAIN Initiative, which will promote country-led, investment-driven health systems funded by domestic resources and supported by the private sector, philanthropy and technical expertise;
- Endorsement of the Accra Compact, a unified vision for a more equitable global health order.
The summit also builds on the groundwork laid by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and African Union institutions, who have been pushing for better health financing and coordination across the continent.
President Mahama’s leadership in calling the summit is widely seen as a continuation of his longstanding advocacy for African-led solutions in public health. His decisive role in coordinating regional efforts during the 2014 Ebola outbreak earned him praise for promoting unity and resilience across West Africa.
More recently, at the Global Summit on Health and Prosperity held in Brussels in June 2025, Mahama made a strong case for reforming global health rules to better reflect the demographic and economic realities of the Global South.
With the Accra Summit, he now seeks to translate those calls into concrete action—cementing Africa’s place not just as a participant in global health, but as a leader and rule-setter.
The summit is expected to draw wide international attention, with multilateral institutions, philanthropic foundations, health organisations and academic institutions all expected to participate. It comes at a time when global health is grappling with issues of equity, voice, and sustainability—challenges African leaders say can no longer be resolved without strong, coordinated input from the continent.
A statement signed by the President’s spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, describes the summit as “a co-creation moment” where Africa’s future in global health will be charted on its own terms.
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