Describes ‘Conditions’ as ‘humiliating’ and abuse of Ghana’s sovereignty
By Gifty Arthur
President John Dramani Mahama has defended Ghana’s rejection of a US$100 million health financing compact from Washington, saying Cabinet threw it out “in record time” because its terms were intrusive and humiliating.
The compact was intended to replace funding lost after the dismantling of USAID. In exchange for the money, the US reportedly sought access to the health records of Ghanaians, among other conditions. Mahama, speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, said the decision had full Cabinet backing. Ghana, he insisted, would not become a “dumping ground.”
The Ministry of Health studied the document and prepared a cabinet information paper. Cabinet flagged several provisions. First, the compact required Ghana to hand over its pathogen profile a detailed account of the diseases endemic in the country. Second, it demanded access to the country’s medical records. “Who takes another country’s medical records?” Mahama asked. The agreement also required Ghana to commit its own funds into the health programme while stripping the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) of any right to scrutinise medications and medical products entering the country under the deal. “I mean, it was humiliating,” Mahama said.
The President stressed that Ghana is a sovereign nation with its own democratic processes. The document did not survive long once it reached the Cabinet table. “It was the compact that was thrown out in record time in our Cabinet. I’ve never seen anything thrown out as fast as that,” he said.
Following the rejection, Mahama directed the Minister of Health to inform the US Ambassador that Ghana would not be taking the offer. “We said no, we didn’t want it. We’ll manage ourselves for a hundred and something million dollars,” he said. “And we’re doing fine.”
The rejection positions Ghana in a widening African debate over the terms attached to foreign aid. By refusing access to medical records and pathogen data, Mahama is testing whether Washington and other donors can recalibrate post-USAID health financing without crossing sovereignty red lines. For now, Accra says it will manage alone. The question is at what cost and whether other African capitals follow.