By Celestine Avi and Seth Eyiah
President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that Ghana lost about 78 million dollars following the closure of USAID-funded health programmes, a development he says has severely affected critical interventions including malaria control, maternal and child healthcare, nutrition services, and HIV/AIDS treatment delivery.
“We lost about 78 million dollars following the closure of USAID programmes.”
Addressing the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organisation, President Mahama warned that declining international health support and the withdrawal of major donor funding are placing vulnerable countries at risk, with millions of preventable deaths likely if urgent reforms are not pursued.
He noted that the USAID withdrawal disrupted the supply of antiretroviral medicines and other essential healthcare services in Ghana, reflecting a wider crisis unfolding across Africa.
The President said the situation underscores the urgent need for African countries to pursue health sovereignty by strengthening domestic healthcare financing, expanding local pharmaceutical production, and building resilient health systems capable of surviving external shocks.
