By Emmanuel Nduka
President John Mahama has disclosed that Ghana lost about $78 million in United States Agency for International Development (USAID) health funding following the closure of several U.S.-backed aid programmes.
Speaking at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Mahama said the funding withdrawal is already taking a toll on critical healthcare services across the country.
According to him, the cuts have disrupted major community health interventions, including malaria treatment, maternal and child healthcare, nutrition programmes, HIV testing, and access to antiretroviral medicines.
Mahama warned that dwindling international health support has become more pronounced since the COVID-19 pandemic, exposing many African countries to dangerous funding shortfalls in essential healthcare delivery.
He urged African governments to increase domestic investment in their health sectors and reduce dependence on foreign donors in order to protect public health systems from future shocks.
The Ghanaian president stressed that sustainable local funding and stronger healthcare infrastructure would be vital to guaranteeing uninterrupted medical services for millions of vulnerable people across the continent.
Heritage Times HT recalls that the $78 million funding shortfall followed a broader rollback and restructuring of several United States foreign assistance programmes in Africa after the COVID-19 pandemic, as Washington shifted portions of its international aid priorities toward domestic economic recovery, global security concerns, and other geopolitical commitments.
Over the past two years, multiple USAID-supported health initiatives across Africa have either been scaled down, suspended, or allowed to expire without renewal, affecting programmes tied to malaria prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, maternal healthcare, and nutrition support.
In Ghana, the impact became more pronounced in 2025 and early 2026 as funding reductions began affecting community-based healthcare delivery and access to essential medicines.
