US aid suspension costs Ghana $78m, Mahama tells World Health Assembly

President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that Ghana lost approximately $78 million in healthcare funding following the decision by the United States to suspend aid support to some African countries.

Speaking at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on Monday, May 18, the President described the funding cuts as a major setback to Ghana’s healthcare sector and broader national development efforts.

According to Mr. Mahama, the reduction in support has directly affected several critical health programmes that millions of Ghanaians depend on.

“In Ghana, health financing from bilateral and multilateral partners has significantly decreased since 2025. Ghana lost $78 million in health funding following the closure of US aid programmes,” President Mahama told delegates at the Assembly.

He explained that the affected funding previously supported malaria control programmes, maternal and child healthcare, nutrition initiatives, HIV/AIDS interventions, testing services and the supply of antiretroviral drugs for patients living with HIV.

“These monies went into malaria programmes, maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS programmes, including testing and the delivery of antiretroviral drugs,” he added.

President Mahama made the remarks while advocating for stronger health sovereignty and greater healthcare independence for countries in the Global South.

The Ghanaian leader expressed concern about what he described as a growing decline in international health assistance in the post-COVID-19 era, warning that many developing nations are struggling to sustain essential healthcare services amid shrinking donor support.

According to him, global humanitarian and health assistance has dropped significantly since the pandemic, placing enormous pressure on healthcare systems across Africa and other developing regions.

“Six years after the last global pandemic, COVID-19, the world health architecture is changing rapidly. Overall, humanitarian assistance is reported to have declined by 40 per cent, and some of the largest Western economies have significantly cut their overseas development assistance,” he stated.

Mr. Mahama also raised concerns about the financial challenges currently facing the World Health Organization (WHO), noting that the withdrawal of US support has affected the organization’s operational capacity.

“The World Health Organisation’s budget has been gutted by the withdrawal of US assistance, forcing the organisation to scale down programmes and undertake staff retrenchment,” he said.

The President stressed that the situation highlights the urgent need for African countries to strengthen domestic healthcare systems, expand local financing mechanisms and reduce overdependence on foreign aid.

According to him, sustainable healthcare systems can only be achieved when countries invest more heavily in local healthcare infrastructure, workforce development, pharmaceutical production and health insurance systems.

He further emphasized that African nations must build resilient healthcare systems capable of responding effectively to future pandemics, disease outbreaks and public health emergencies without relying excessively on external donors.

President Mahama’s participation at the World Health Assembly forms part of Ghana’s broader push to promote the “Accra Reset Initiative,” a framework aimed at advancing healthcare sovereignty and improving self-reliance among countries in the Global South.

The 79th World Health Assembly has brought together heads of state, health ministers, policymakers and global health experts from around the world to discuss major public health challenges, healthcare financing and strategies for strengthening global health systems.

The Assembly is also expected to focus on pandemic preparedness, equitable healthcare access, universal health coverage and reforms within international health institutions.