President Mahama calls for more investment in Africa's pharmaceutical industry

President John Dramani Mahama has called on African countries to change how they view healthcare by treating the sector as an area for investment, job creation and economic growth rather than simply a cost to governments. Speaking at the Health Plenary of the Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt on October 3, 2026, President Mahama said Africa must invest more in producing its own medicines, vaccines and other health products. He said building a strong pharmaceutical industry across the continent would reduce Africa’s heavy dependence on imported medical products while creating skilled jobs and strengthening local economies. According to the President, Africa has the opportunity to develop regional health supply chains that allow countries to produce and trade medicines, vaccines and medical products within the continent. He stressed that stronger local production would also improve Africa’s ability to respond to health emergencies without relying heavily on supplies from outside the continent. President Mahama pointed to Ghana’s Reset agenda as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare and improve access to medical services. He highlighted the expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme, the introduction of Free Primary Health Care and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund as key initiatives being pursued by his government. He also said Ghana is working to strengthen its capacity to produce more health products locally. Road works, fibre cuts hit 72,000 Telecel customers President Mahama called for closer cooperation among African governments, financial institutions, regulators and private businesses to attract investment into the health sector. He said building strong African health industries would not only improve healthcare but also create jobs, support economic growth and strengthen the continent’s ability to meet its own health needs. DR/MA Inside Ghana’s Abandoned Engineering Powerhouse: What Went Wrong? Source: www.ghanaweb.com
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