President John Dramani Mahama has received an award at the 2026 World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany, in recognition of his leadership and commitment to advancing global health.
The award, a Berliner Bär bearing the summit’s insignia, was presented to the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who received it on the President’s behalf.
An accompanying plaque recognised Mahama for his “outstanding leadership and commitment to advancing global health”.
The recognition comes as Ghana pushes for a global health system in which countries have greater control over decisions, policies and programmes affecting their populations.
Addressing participants at the summit, Akandoh called for countries to play a leading role in shaping global health priorities rather than having policies designed for them by external actors.
“Global health must not be designed for countries; it must be designed with countries and led by countries,” he said.
The minister said the position reflected Mahama’s earlier address in Accra, which called for a shift from dependency to dignity, fragmentation to solidarity, and conventional partnerships to shared leadership.
Akandoh also outlined initiatives he said demonstrated Ghana’s commitment to strengthening its healthcare system, including the introduction of free primary healthcare, the Mahama Cares programme, increased investment in immunisation and efforts to mobilise domestic resources.
“Resilience is not imported, and it is not donated. It must be built at home,” he said, emphasising the importance of domestic investment in building sustainable health systems.
He urged participants from different countries to work together to improve health outcomes and save lives.
The World Health Summit brings together government officials, scientists, private-sector representatives and civil society organisations to discuss global health challenges, policies and cooperation.
Ghana’s position at the summit centres on strengthening domestic health financing and ensuring that countries have a greater voice in determining how global health policies and resources are directed.
