President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana has stressed that the Accra Reset agenda recommendations must move beyond design and into implementation. Speaking at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, he called for a new global approach to health governance that gives Global South countries greater control over their health systems and resources. The Accra Reset aims to address the vulnerability of Global South countries to external decisions on trade, finance, and development assistance.
The High-Level Panel on the Accra Reset, established to translate the agenda into practical policy proposals, has released a report titled "A Sovereign Future for Health." The report was unveiled during a high-level side event on the Accra Reset: Global Reset Dialogue. President Mahama identified three major challenges facing the Global South: geostrategic marginalization, geopolitical vulnerability, and donor dependence. He emphasized that these challenges are interconnected and require a response that combines political authority, productive capacity, and financial resilience.
President Mahama highlighted that Ghana's domestic development agenda aligns with the objectives of the Accra Reset, particularly in areas such as economic self-reliance, local value addition, public health infrastructure, and transparent governance. He cited efforts to strengthen Ghana's pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity as an example, arguing that health security should not depend entirely on foreign suppliers for essential medicines. The President emphasized that a national reset without a global reset is unfeasible, and vice versa.
A key message of the report is the principle that countries cannot claim ownership of development programs without having meaningful control over the decisions and resources that shape them. President Mahama stated that the same principle applies across the Global South: no ownership without control, but also no control without absolute accountability to the people. He emphasized that this is the bedrock of the New Global Bargain: responsibility matched by authority, authority backed by real productive capability, and every partner held accountable for their promises.
President Mahama noted that the Global South has achieved political independence but continues to have limited influence over major global trade, financial, and health governance structures. He stated that for decades, nations of the Global South have been asked to own the results of health and development programs, while others retain control. The President emphasized that through the Accra Reset, the Global South is declaring unequivocally that there can be no ownership without control.
However, President Mahama cautioned that greater control must be accompanied by accountability at the national level. He emphasized that moving power from distant boardrooms into an unaccountable ministry will not magically manifest sovereignty. The President stated that if the Global South demands control, it must earn it through uncompromising domestic accountability. Ghana is tightening fiscal controls, fighting corruption, and ensuring that every public cedi is accounted for.
The "A Sovereign Future for Health" report contains 10 practical recommendations that will guide the next phase of the Accra Reset. President Mahama stated that Ghana and the Presidential Council will engage governments, global health institutions, development finance organizations, philanthropies, and the private sector to translate the recommendations into country-level agreements. The initiative will also seek partnerships with institutions in Africa, India, Indonesia, the Gulf, and elsewhere to build networks connecting research, regulation, local manufacturing, and distribution.
Key points
- President Mahama emphasizes the need for the Accra Reset agenda to transition from design to implementation.
