By James T. Brooks
ACCRA – A dozen ministers of health and finance, alongside representatives of development partners, the private sector, civil society, regional institutions, and youth leaders from Western and Central Africa, concluded a high-level meeting in Accra. The gathering focused on advancing the health, nutrition, and population agenda to deliver better access to quality healthcare for communities across the region.
During the event, the World Bank Group launched its regional health strategy, titled “Fit to Prosper: Investing in Health for Jobs and Development in Western and Central Africa.” This country-driven roadmap is anchored in the principle of health sovereignty. It provides a framework to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage, while underscoring that health investments are essential not only for saving lives but also for economic growth driven by quality jobs. The strategy is built on three distinct strategic priorities: Frontlines First, which strengthens service delivery with a focus on primary care; Fixing Finance, which ensures sustainable investment; and Future Fit, which builds long-term health system resilience.
In Ghana, this strategy aligns closely with the national vision of achieving universal health coverage, strengthening health systems, and ensuring that every citizen can access quality care regardless of income or location. Addressing the assembly, Hon Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff at the Presidency for the Republic of Ghana, noted that investing in health is an investment in jobs, stability, and the future of the region. He affirmed Ghana’s commitment to the successful implementation of the regional strategy, emphasizing the collective goal 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.
The strategy supports the World Bank Group’s broader regional ambition to provide 200 million people with quality, affordable health services by 2030, contributing to a global target of 1.5 billion people. It connects with the flagship Africa Initiative for Medical Access and Manufacturing (AIM2030), which focuses on private sector engagement and universal health coverage, as well as National Health Compacts designed to align health priorities and resources. Furthermore, the initiative links with the Global Financing Facility, a country-led, catalytic financing partnership focused on ending preventable maternal and child deaths.
World Bank Group Vice President for People, Mamta Murthi, emphasized that the ultimate goal is to ensure that quality, affordable maternal and child health services are available to all. She noted that breaking the cycle of poverty and ill health requires immediate investment, particularly during a child’s first 1,000 days of life, which heavily shapes their future capacity to learn, work, and contribute to a thriving economy.
In a joint statement endorsed at the meeting, the ministers and heads of delegation emphasized that optimized investments today will ensure the next generation is equipped to prosper. They urged governments to maximize the impact of existing resources while mobilizing additional domestic funding to sustain long-term development gains. A key recommendation was the realization of National Health Compacts in every country. These high-level agreements outline national commitments to expand affordable, quality healthcare, clarify policy reform priorities, and bring together ministries of health, ministries of finance, and development partners around a single country-led plan featuring one plan, one budget, and one reporting system.
Investing in health remains both a development and an economic imperative, as healthy populations are more productive, more resilient to shocks, and better equipped to drive job creation. Ministers at the event acknowledged that the public sector cannot achieve these goals alone. They highlighted the private sector as an essential partner for innovation, service delivery, and the development of local value chains for medical countermeasures and other health commodities.
The meeting concluded with broad representation from Western and Central African nations, embassies, regional organizations, private sector groups, and youth leaders. Key development partners also participated in the session, including the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Comments are closed.