President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed Ghana’s determination to transition from a beneficiary to a donor country within the global vaccine financing community, setting an ambitious target to exit GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, by the year 2030.
Speaking at the GAVI Global Summit on Health and Prosperity Through Immunisation in Brussels, President Mahama made a compelling case for Ghana’s readiness to take greater ownership of its immunisation agenda.
“Ghana is committed to fast-tracking its graduation from GAVI support by 2030,” he declared. “That’s our official timeline, but it is my hope that we will accelerate this process and follow the example of countries like Indonesia, eventually becoming a donor to GAVI ourselves.”
President Mahama noted that Ghana’s progress in immunisation has been remarkable, thanks largely to its partnership with GAVI. He revealed that the country has achieved a 97% immunisation coverage rate, a milestone that positions Ghana among the top performers globally. Yet, he acknowledged the challenge that remains in reaching the last cohort of unvaccinated children.
“We’re proud of our partnership with GAVI, which has helped us reach this milestone,” he said. “But there’s still work to be done. That final 3% represents tens of thousands of children in remote locations. We are determined to find and vaccinate every single one of them.”
Highlighting the broader impact of GAVI’s work, President Mahama praised the alliance for its contribution to global health, noting that millions of children across the world have been protected through its initiatives.
He emphasized that Ghana’s emerging economy status has not deterred its commitment to co-financing vaccine programmes.
“Our co-financing partnership with GAVI has seen us invest nearly $67 million in vaccines over recent years,” the President said.
He went on to underscore a major policy shift under his leadership that boosted domestic financing for health.
“One of my first decisions as President was to uncap the National Health Insurance Fund, which had previously been restricted by a cap imposed by the former administration.”
“By removing the cap, we unlocked over 3.5 billion cedis in additional resources for the health insurance scheme. This allowed us to front-load $20 million this year toward our co-financing commitment with GAVI,” he explained.
President Mahama concluded his address with a heartfelt message of appreciation to GAVI and its global donor partners.
“On behalf of the children of Ghana, I extend my heartfelt thanks to GAVI. We are proud of this partnership and sincerely grateful to all countries that have pledged new funds toward GAVI’s replenishment. Your support continues to save lives every day,” he said.
Ghana’s stance at the summit signals a bold shift in its global health diplomacy and commitment to long-term sustainability in vaccine financing, as the country aims not only to secure its own children’s future, but to support others in doing the same.
