ACCRA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday urged private sector players to collaborate with African governments in co-investing in the continent's health industrialization to enhance healthcare and service delivery.
At the opening of the two-day World Health Expo Leaders Africa Summit in Accra, the Ghanian capital, Mahama said that Africa seeks a new partnership paradigm, one that is defined not by dependency, but by co-investment, innovation, and shared values.
"So we call on vaccine manufacturers to partner with us to build African vaccine production hubs. We call on pharmaceutical companies to expand into biologics, generics, and essential medicine manufacturing in Africa," Mahama said.
He also urged diagnostics innovators, biotechnology firms, and medical device producers to establish assembly plants with research and development centers and fabrication facilities in Africa to ensure easy access for African health institutions.
Mahama said the continent has learned valuable lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, when the continent was often last to receive support during global health emergencies, underscoring the need for a paradigm shift.
Highlighting the African Continental Free Trade Area as a unified market of about 1.3 billion people, Mahama noted a growing innovation ecosystem and the African Medicines Agency's role in strengthening regulatory alignment.
He expressed confidence in the imagination and ingenuity of young African innovators, artificial intelligence developers, medical technology creators, and digital health entrepreneurs to shape the future of Africa's healthcare and build a new health order.
The summit is attended by health officials from various African countries, as well as representatives from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and allied organizations.
