Ministers of Health and Finance from across West and Central Africa have launched a new regional roadmap aimed at tackling the growing health and nutrition challenges confronting the sub-region while expanding access to quality healthcare.
The initiative was unveiled in Accra at a high-level meeting attended by government officials, development partners, private sector players, civil society organisations and youth leaders from across the region.
During the meeting, the World Bank Group launched a regional health strategy titled “Fit to Prosper: Investing in Health for Jobs and Development in Western and Central Africa.”
The strategy seeks to accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) while positioning health investment as a critical driver of economic growth, productivity and job creation.
According to the World Bank, the strategy is anchored on three main priorities — strengthening frontline healthcare delivery, ensuring sustainable health financing and building resilient health systems capable of responding to future shocks.
Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Julius Debrah, said the initiative aligns strongly with Ghana’s national healthcare vision. “For us in Ghana, this strategy aligns closely with our national vision of achieving universal health coverage, strengthening our health systems and ensuring that every citizen, regardless of income or location, can access quality care,” he stated.
He stressed that investing in healthcare was not only a social obligation, but also an economic necessity for the region. “By investing in health, we are investing in jobs, in stability and in the future of Western and Central Africa,” he said.
Mr. Debrah also reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to supporting the successful implementation of the regional strategy. “Let us work together to ensure that no mother dies while giving life, no child suffers from preventable disease and no citizen is pushed into poverty by the cost of care,” he added.
Vice President for People at the World Bank Group, Mamta Murthi, said the strategy seeks to improve maternal and child healthcare outcomes across the region. According to her, stronger healthcare systems are necessary to break the cycle of poverty and poor health outcomes. “Breaking the cycle of poverty and ill health requires investing now,” she stressed.
Mrs. Murthi said investment in children’s health during the first 1,000 days of life plays a major role in shaping future productivity, education and economic participation.
The World Bank explained that the strategy forms part of a broader ambition to help 200 million Africans gain access to affordable and quality healthcare services by 2030.
The initiative also aligns with the Bank’s Africa Initiative for Medical Access and Manufacturing (AIM2030), which focuses on strengthening local pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing capacity across the continent.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the ministers and heads of delegation underscored the need for stronger domestic investment in healthcare and better use of existing resources. They further advocated the implementation of National Health Compacts in all countries within the region.
According to the statement, the compacts would help governments align health priorities, financing and policy reforms under unified national plans involving Ministries of Health, Ministries of Finance and development partners.
The ministers also acknowledged that governments alone cannot address the region’s healthcare challenges and called for stronger collaboration with the private sector.
They noted that private sector participation would be crucial in innovation, healthcare delivery and the development of local medical supply chains.
The meeting brought together representatives from several countries in West and Central Africa as well as officials from organisations including UNICEF, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z
