Mahama, WHO chief call for stronger pharmaceutical production to reduce Africa’s health dependence

"President John Mahama also called on African leaders to accelerate efforts towards health independence, saying the continent must reduce its reliance on imported medicines and medical products."The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Africa could lose decades of progress in tackling HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases unless governments increase domestic investment to make up for declining international funding.

Speaking at the African Union's first Extraordinary Summit dedicated to health in Accra, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged African leaders to make health sovereignty a political priority by strengthening health systems and investing more in healthcare.