President John Dramani Mahama has called on Ghana’s Ministry of Health and financial policymakers across Africa to reframe healthcare as a strategic economic investment rather than a budgetary burden.
President Mahama’s remarks come amid renewed continental focus on achieving self-reliant, equitable healthcare systems following the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Delivering a keynote address at the 2025 Africa Health Sovereignty Summit on Tuesday, August 5, President Mahama stressed that health underpins national productivity and inclusive economic growth.
“We must reject the outdated notion that health drains our economies,” he said. “In truth, health is the engine of productivity and the bedrock of inclusive growth.”
Citing World Health Organization data, he noted that every $1 invested in health resilience can generate up to $4 in returns, a figure likely even higher across Africa due to its youthful and dynamic population.
Mahama illustrated the direct economic benefits of health investment:
- Preventing malaria means keeping people in the workforce.
- Avoiding maternal deaths ensures family and community stability.
- Vaccinating children secures future generations.
“The WHO has shown that every $1 invested in health resilience yields up to $4 returns. This return is even greater in Africa, where youthful populations represent latent economic dynamism.”
To this end, he urged Ministries of Finance to classify health spending as capital investment and called on sovereign wealth funds to channel resources into biotechnology, diagnostic systems, and resilient health infrastructure.
He also challenged economists to revise national accounting models to treat health as a productivity multiplier, not merely a consumption expense.
