Ghana News
President Mahama Warns Current Global Health Architecture ‘No Longer Fit for Purpose’
Ghana’s President cites $78m loss to Ghana, WHO budget cuts, and projected 9 million preventable deaths in Africa
President John Dramani Mahama has issued a stark warning that the global health architecture is “no longer fit for purpose,” as funding cuts by major Western economies and the withdrawal of US assistance threaten to reverse decades of public health gains across Africa.
Speaking on Monday, May 18, 2026, at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, the Ghanaian leader described a “gloomy outlook” for global health cooperation, marked by a reported 40 percent decline in overall humanitarian assistance and deep cuts to overseas development aid from some of the world’s largest economies.
“We meet at the 79th World Health Assembly amid uncertainty,” Mahama told delegates, including WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Swiss Federal Counsellor Elizabeth Baum-Schneider. “Shifting global geopolitics and deliberate assaults on the world’s multilateral system have created doubts about the trajectory of global health cooperation and reform.”
WHO Budget ‘Gutted’
Mahama revealed that the World Health Organization’s budget has been “gutted” by the withdrawal of United States assistance, forcing the organization to scale down critical programmes and undertake steep staff retrenchments.
He did not provide an exact figure for the WHO budget shortfall but noted that the US withdrawal had created a funding vacuum felt across the agency’s operations.
The President’s remarks come six years after the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said had already exposed vulnerabilities in the world’s health emergency response systems. Those vulnerabilities, he argued, have now been deepened by deliberate political decisions to retreat from multilateral commitments.
Ghana Loses $78 Million in Health Funding
For Ghana, the impact has been immediate and severe. Mahama disclosed that health financing from bilateral and multilateral partners has significantly decreased since 2025, with the country losing $78 million in health funding following the closure of US aid programmes.
That money, he explained, went directly into life-saving interventions.
“This money went mainly into malaria programmes, maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV-AIDS programmes, including testing and delivery of antiretroviral drugs,” Mahama said.
The loss threatens to disrupt treatment for thousands of Ghanaians living with HIV, undo progress made in reducing maternal mortality, and revive malaria infection rates that had been driven down over the past decade.
A Continent in Peril
Mahama extended his warning beyond Ghana’s borders, painting a dire picture of a continent pushed to the brink by aid withdrawal. He cited the example of South Africa, where the abrupt end of PEPFAR funding — the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — has already shut clinics, terminated gender-based violence programmes, and left 1.4 million people living with HIV uncertain about whether they will continue to receive treatment.
The consequences, he said, could be measured in lives lost on a massive scale.
“We are told that by 2030, nine million preventable deaths could occur due to these shifts,” Mahama told the assembly. “It is estimated that the direct consequences of this aid suspension could push about 5.7 million Africans into poverty by the end of 2026.”
‘Not Here to Lament’
Despite the grim statistics, Mahama made clear that his purpose was not to complain but to demand action.
“These troubling statistics are known, and we are not here to lament or wring our hands over them,” he said. “We are here, among others, to decide whether the architecture we supervise is still fit for purpose. We are here to discuss how we can continue to save lives, even in the face of adversity.”
The President positioned himself as an advocate for a new initiative born from that adversity: the African Health Sovereignty Conference, famously known as the “Accra Reset,” which was convened in August last year. He described the movement as being born from “the conviction that Africa must become the author of its own health destiny, rather than its subject.”
A New Role for Africa
Mahama acknowledged that his mandate from the Ghanaian people is “not merely to address them, but to transform their lives.” That transformation, he argued, depends on a fundamental reordering of how global health is financed and governed.
“I come from a continent that has too often been the subject of global health policy, rather than its author,” he said.
His speech signaled a shift in tone from African leaders at international assemblies — away from appeals for restored aid and toward a demand for structural change. The Accra Reset, which Mahama has championed, focuses on domestic vaccine manufacturing, regional pharmaceutical production, and pooled financing mechanisms that reduce reliance on unpredictable foreign donors.
What Happens Next
The World Health Assembly continues through the week, with debates expected on sustainable health financing, pandemic preparedness, and reforms to the WHO’s funding model. Mahama’s intervention places Ghana at the centre of that conversation, but whether it translates into concrete commitments from wealthier nations remains an open question.
For now, the President has laid down a clear marker: the old architecture is broken. The question before the assembly, he suggested, is whether the world has the will to build a new one.
Here are the top 10 headlines dominating the Ghanaian press on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
- Nation mourns Ya‑Na Abukari II – Daily Graphic
(President Akufo‑Addo, Bawumia and others pay tribute to the late Overlord of Dagbon) - Miracles Aboagye arrested over alleged misappropriation, misapplication, diversion and theft of public funds amounting to about GHc55 million; granted GHc50m bail by EOCO – Daily Post
- Ghana nears completion of external debt restructuring – The Business Analyst
(also highlighted as “Gov’t takes final step in external debt restructuring” in Business & Financial Times) - Pro‑Bawumia candidates win 92% constituency executives elections in Ashanti region – The New Trust
- Clean‑Up Exercise: GJA Commends Govt, Zoomlion & Media – Day Break
(similar headline in The Business Analyst) - Airport Security Goes High‑Tech – No more removing laptops, belts or shoes with new security scanners – The Hawk
- Accra Will Bounce Back After June 29 Flood Disaster – Mahama – The Dispatch
- Hon. Felicia Adjei meets Libyan Authorities to address plight of Ghanaian irregular migrants – The Overseer
(also covered as “Kintampo South MP visits Libya” in The Business Analyst) - Eoco’s Bail Conditions Cruel and Oppressive – Rule of Law Is Upside Down – Atta Akyea – The Metro Lens
- Bawumia Has No Preferred Candidates in NPP Regional National Executive Race – Punch
Ghana News
Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II: Influential Traditional Ruler Who Restored Peace to Dagbon After 16-Year Dispute Dies
Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II, the traditional king (Overlord) of Dagbon in northern Ghana, has died.
Enskinned in January 2019, he played a central role in ending a long-running 16-year chieftaincy dispute between two royal factions that had divided the kingdom and disrupted traditional activities for years.
Born Bukali in Mion, the late king began his leadership journey as chief of Kpunkpono before ascending to the influential Savelugu skin.
His selection as Yaa Naa marked a historic moment of reconciliation in Dagbon, one of Ghana’s most important traditional kingdoms.
His passing, confirmed by multiple credible sources on Monday, July 13, is expected to trigger widespread mourning across the region, with many reflecting on his contributions to peace and the restoration of stability in northern Ghana.
Yaa Naa’s Legacy
Ascending to the throne as the 41st Overlord (or 42nd by some regional counts) in January 2019, his brief but transformative reign brought stability back to one of Ghana’s oldest and most influential traditional kingdoms.
The core pillars of his legacy include:
- The Restoration of Peace and Reconciliation
The defining achievement of his reign was ending the deeply polarizing, 17-year-long Dagbon chieftaincy dispute.
Following the tragic 2002 assassination of his predecessor, Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II, the kingdom was fractured into two rival royal gates: the Abudus and the Andanis.
Working alongside the government-backed Committee of Eminent Chiefs, his enskinment in 2019 healed these generational wounds. He successfully united both factions, restoring the moral and spiritual authority of the skins of Yendi and bringing long-awaited political stability to Northern Ghana.
- Institutional and Constitutional Reforms
Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II recognized that lasting peace required strong legal frameworks.
In 2020, he initiated a comprehensive review of the Dagbon Constitution to clarify customary successions and prevent future royal disputes.
Under his guidance, the revised constitution was formally adopted by the Dagbon Traditional Council in 2022, providing a clear roadmap for future generations.
- Socio-Economic and Cultural Development
He actively worked to move Dagbon away from conflict and toward regional prosperity.
Dagbon Development Fund (DDF): Launched in 2021, this fund was designed to channel resources directly into economic development, healthcare, and educational infrastructure across the kingdom.
Gbewaa Palace Redevelopment: In March 2023, he initiated the physical reconstruction and modernization of the historic Gbewaa Palace in Yendi, a symbolic rebuilding of the kingdom’s beating heart.
International Partnerships: He championed human capital growth by facilitating institutional collaborations, such as the 2024 educational partnership between Tamale Technical University (TaTU) and Bursa Technical University in Turkey.
- Humanitarian and National Leadership
As the President of the Northern Regional House of Chiefs, he extended his influence far beyond his immediate kingdom to foster national unity.
He was highly regarded for his philanthropy, notably sending substantial agricultural relief (including hundreds of bags of maize, rice, and yams) to help communities displaced by the devastating 2023 Volta Region floods and parts of the Savannah Region.
Ultimately, Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II went from a quiet, respected regional chief of Savelugu to the “Lion of Gbewaa” who chose healing over division. He leaves behind a peaceful, structured, and forward-looking Dagbon Kingdom.
The United Nations has issued a sharp warning against using migrants as scapegoats for South Africa’s socioeconomic challenges, as the government confirmed that more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated in just five weeks.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi announced on Sunday that 53,499 foreign nationals have been processed for deportation and voluntary repatriation since the launch of a nationwide “migration management” campaign in mid-June.
The crackdown, one of South Africa’s largest in years that many across the world are condemning as cruel and inhumane, follows weeks of anti-immigration protests marked by violence, intimidation, and looting.
Malawians Bear the Brunt
According to official figures, Malawian citizens accounted for over 80 percent of those processed, followed by nationals from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre in Musina, Limpopo Province, has processed nearly 2,500 people, most of them Malawian and Zimbabwean nationals. Several countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya, have flown their citizens home in recent weeks.
UN: Migrants Are Not the Problem
The UN has cautioned against conflating migration with South Africa’s deep-rooted challenges of unemployment, inequality, and service delivery failures. Anti-migrant activists have accused undocumented foreigners of driving crime and taking jobs, but the UN and civil society groups argue that foreign workers—who make up only about 5 percent of the population—are being unfairly scapegoated.
“Now, in what universe can you scapegoat 4% to 5% of the population for all our problems?” economist Duma Gqubule said recently, dismissing the anti-migrant stance as “mass hallucination”.
Organizations defending migrants’ rights emphasize that foreign workers have become convenient targets in a country where the unemployment rate exceeds 30 percent and disproportionately affects Black South Africans.
Vigilante Threats and a “Deadline” That Passed
Anti-migrant activists had set an unofficial 30 June deadline for all undocumented migrants to leave the country, prompting thousands to flee in fear. Protesters—including leaders from groups such as March and March—have threatened to stage weekly demonstrations until the government meets their demands. There are mounting fears that the protests could turn violent again.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged public concerns about immigration but has condemned attacks against migrants and warned citizens against taking the law into their own hands. Minister Kubayi also cautioned that protesters must not conduct unauthorised searches of homes and businesses suspected of sheltering undocumented migrants.
Government Defends Enforcement, Signals Scaling Down
Kubayi said the deportation process has helped authorities apprehend individuals wanted for criminal activity, and that the government remains committed to “observing human rights and dignity of all people in our country, irrespective of their citizenship”. She added that authorities will continue enforcing immigration laws.
However, the government is reportedly considering scaling back the campaign as the number of repatriations increases.
“We envisage a phased scaling down of the process which will not negatively impact or compromise the deportation and repatriation processes we are undertaking,” a government source told Business Day.
Diplomatic Fallout
The crackdown has strained regional relations.
Ghana postponed a state visit by President Ramaphosa following xenophobic rallies that resulted in hundreds of Ghanaians being repatriated.
Other African nations have similarly expressed concern, with some leaders accusing South Africa of failing to protect foreign nationals.
Top 10 Front-Page Headlines From Ghanaian Newspapers: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
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