John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that Ghana lost approximately $78 million in health funding following the decision by the United States to suspend aid support to some African countries.
Delivering a keynote address at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on Monday, May 18, President Mahama said the development had dealt a significant setback to Ghana’s healthcare sector and broader development agenda.
“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,” he told delegates.
According to the President, the affected funding supported critical interventions including malaria control, maternal and child healthcare, nutrition programmes and HIV/AIDS services such as testing and the distribution of antiretroviral drugs.
President Mahama, who attended the global health gathering to advocate greater health sovereignty for countries in the Global South, also expressed concern about the continued decline in international health assistance since the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that global health support had fallen by about 40 per cent, with Ghana among the countries significantly affected by the reduction in funding.
“Six years after the last global pandemic, COVID-19, the world health architecture is changing rapidly,” he stated.
“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 added.
President Mahama further observed that the budget of the World Health Organization had also been severely impacted by the withdrawal of US support.
“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 the need for African countries to strengthen domestic healthcare systems and reduce dependence on foreign aid in order to protect public health delivery and ensure long-term sustainability.
The 79th World Health Assembly has brought together world leaders, policymakers and health experts to discuss global health challenges and sustainable healthcare financing.
