President John Dramani Mahama has called on private sector players across Africa and beyond to partner with governments in driving a bold new era of health industrialization on the continent.
Speaking at the opening of the World Health Expo Leaders Africa Summit in Accra on Tuesday, Mahama said Africa is seeking “a new partnership paradigm, one defined not by dependency, but by co-investment, innovation and shared values.”
He urged vaccine manufacturers to work with African governments to establish vaccine production hubs and encouraged pharmaceutical companies to expand into biologics, generics and essential medicines manufacturing on the continent. He further appealed to diagnostics innovators, biotechnology firms and medical device producers to set up assembly plants, R&D centres and fabrication facilities in Africa to improve access for local health institutions.
Mahama said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed Africa’s vulnerability during global health crises, noting that the continent was often the last to receive critical support. This, he stressed, makes the case for building local capacity and supply chains.
Citing the African Continental Free Trade Area as a unified market of 1.3 billion people, President Mahama noted the growing innovation ecosystem and the role of the African Medicines Agency in aligning regulatory systems to attract investment.
Mahama expressed confidence in the continent’s young innovators from AI developers to medical technology entrepreneurs to help shape a more resilient African health system.
The two-day summit has drawn health ministers, policymakers, industry leaders, and representatives from the Africa CDC and allied institutions.
