Mahama: Ghana loses $78m after US Aid suspension
President John Dramani Mahama
Ghana is facing a fresh strain on its healthcare system after the suspension of key United States-funded assistance programmes wiped out an estimated $78 million previously allocated to major public health interventions, President John Dramani Mahama has revealed.
Addressing world leaders and health stakeholders at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, the President painted a picture of growing pressure on developing countries as international support for healthcare continues to decline in the post-pandemic era.
He said the funding cuts have disrupted several critical health programmes in Ghana, particularly in areas tied to disease prevention, maternal care and HIV treatment.
“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,” Mr Mahama stated during his address.
According to him, the suspended support had played a major role in sustaining interventions targeting malaria, child and maternal health, nutrition services and HIV/AIDS treatment delivery across the country.
“These monies went into malaria programmes, maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS programmes, including testing and the delivery of antiretroviral drugs,” he said.
Beyond Ghana’s situation, the President warned that the broader global health financing landscape is becoming increasingly unstable, especially for countries that rely heavily on donor-backed systems to support healthcare delivery.
He told the Assembly that humanitarian and development assistance has sharply declined in recent years, with several advanced economies reducing overseas support commitments after COVID-19.
“Six years after the last global pandemic, COVID-19, the world health architecture is changing rapidly. 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 noted.
Mr Mahama also pointed to the financial difficulties confronting the World Health Organisation, saying the withdrawal of American support had forced the agency to reduce operations and cut staff numbers.
“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 stated.
The President used the platform to push for stronger healthcare self-sufficiency among African nations, arguing that overdependence on external aid leaves countries vulnerable whenever international political or economic priorities shift.
The World Health Assembly, currently underway in Geneva, has gathered policymakers, heads of state and health experts from across the world to discuss emerging health threats, financing gaps and long-term strategies for building resilient healthcare systems.
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