Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Ghana’s Minister of Health, delivered a keynote address at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany, demanding that global health policies be crafted with, not for, the countries that will implement them.
Akandoh warned that fragmented, externally imposed health strategies fail to address local needs and called for a shift toward solidarity, shared leadership and stronger domestic ownership of healthcare priorities.
He highlighted the need for meaningful country voices in setting priorities that affect national healthcare systems, populations and long‑term development goals, stressing that international cooperation must go beyond mere commitments to ensure local leadership in policy implementation.
Aligning his remarks with President John Dramani Mahama’s Accra Reset agenda, Akandoh said the shift toward country ownership reflects Ghana’s own initiatives, including the Free Primary Healthcare scheme, the MahamaCares program and expanded immunisation coverage.
“Global health must not be designed for countries, it must be designed with countries and led by countries… from the establishment of the Free Primary Healthcare to the establishment of the MahamaCares to an increase in our immunisation… Resilience is not imported and not donated, it must be built at home,” the minister said.
Akandoh’s call underscores a broader push for national self‑reliance in health, urging international partners to support Ghana’s domestic mobilisations rather than impose external solutions.
Observers note that the minister’s stance aligns with a growing trend among low‑ and middle‑income countries to demand greater agency in global health negotiations, a move that could reshape future international aid frameworks.
