President John Dramani Mahama has made good on a pledge to donate six months of his salary to Ghana’s flagship healthcare initiative, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares.

Combined with contributions from political appointees and deductions from officials who missed an asset declaration deadline, the total sum of GH₵6,102,737.80 has been transferred to the Fund.

The formal presentation was made on Monday at Jubilee House, where Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration) Nana Oye Bampoe Addo handed over the proceeds on behalf of the Office of the President.

The Controller and Accountant-General has already transferred the full amount to the Trust.

A ‘Reset Agenda’ Made Concrete

President Mahama launched MahamaCares on 29 April 2025 to address critical gaps in Ghana’s healthcare financing system. The Fund covers treatment costs for non-communicable diseases not fully provided for under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney failure requiring dialysis, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and sickle cell disease.

The need is not abstract. According to the World Health Organisation, non-communicable diseases now account for 45 percent of all deaths in Ghana. One health facility alone recorded five thousand new diabetes referrals in the first half of 2025.

‘Real Sacrifices’ and a Call for Public Support

Nana Oye Bampoe Addo stated that the salary donations had not come without cost to those who made them.

“These salary donations came with real sacrifices. Bills that had to wait. Plans that had to be deferred. Commitments that had to be renegotiated. We knew the cost, and we paid it anyway,” she said.

She said the entire exercise is the Reset Agenda made concrete, arguing that public office carries an obligation to give.

“Leadership is not a title, it is a disposition,” she said.

She ended with a call to Ghanaians to support the fund: “This is a passionate appeal from political appointees to each and every Ghanaian. We know you will hear, you will dig deep in your pockets and contribute so that more lives will also be saved”.

How the Money Was Raised

The funds comprised:

1. President Mahama’s pledge: Six months of his basic salary
2. Appointee contributions: One month’s salary from government appointees
3. Asset declaration penalties: Three months’ salary forfeited by officials who missed the initial deadline for asset declaration

Collections are not yet finished. Appointees who missed the asset declaration deadline remain subject to further deductions, and those proceeds will also go to the Fund.

“We will still be collecting more money,” Nana Oye Bampoe Addo said.

The Fund’s Ambition and Challenges

The Ghana Medical Trust Fund requires approximately three billion Ghana cedis annually over its first three years to achieve its goals. It is currently operating as a pilot phase to help the government assess its long-term financial sustainability.

The Fund currently receives 20% of the National Health Insurance Levy, with additional support coming from donor groups, corporate institutions, organisations, and private individuals. The Administrator of the Fund, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, has stated that the Fund has decided to begin by focusing on cancer treatment, with plans to gradually expand coverage based on lessons learned from the pilot phase.

A Life Saved Already

The Deputy Chief of Staff said the fund had already changed at least one life, referring to a beneficiary she identified as Ms. Kobba. “President has turned tears of sadness into tears of joy and gratitude and has saved a life,” she said.

She added: “Every Cedi transferred will reach someone in desperate need. It will fund a cancer patient’s next round of chemotherapy. It will pay for a dialysis session for someone whose family has run out of options”.

Happy Tuesday! Check out the big stories dominating Ghana’s news cycle today. Stay informed.

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Tuesday, June 16, 2026. Stay informed with today’s front pages of Ghanaian newspapers, all in one place.