President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the growing burden of diseases across Africa, saying they continue to claim lives and undermine the continent’s development.
He said more than 90 million Africans living with hepatitis B or C remain undiagnosed, while malaria continues to pose a major health challenge. He also noted that non-communicable diseases account for more than two million deaths among Africans below the age of 70 each year.
President Mahama made the remarks at the African Union Extraordinary Health Summit, where African Heads of State and Governments gathered to adopt a fully costed continental roadmap aimed at ending AIDS and tuberculosis by 2030.
In his opening address, the President called on African leaders to intensify efforts to address the continent’s health challenges, stressing that Africa must move beyond traditional approaches to healthcare and pursue transformative solutions.
“Neglected tropical diseases still blind, disfigure and stigmatise our people, and if you are observant you will notice that most accounts of the global infectious diseases burden present a uniquely depressing African perspective.
“Africa now stands at a crossroad defined by its appetites for total health transformation. It can no longer allow itself to be purged on the periphery and cast as the destitute beneficiary of the largesse of some distant global health systems,” he said.
President Mahama further urged leaders to ensure that commitments made at the summit translate into concrete actions and measurable outcomes rather than remain mere declarations.
He said sustained political commitment, investment, and stronger health systems are essential to achieving lasting improvements in healthcare delivery across the continent.
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