Ghana’s health model example for Africa – Africa CDC boss
The Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Dr Jean Kaseya, has commended Ghana for implementing the Free Primary Healthcare System.
He described it as a model for expanding access to care across the continent.
He said the policy had significantly broadened access to healthcare, particularly in rural and underserved communities, and should serve as an example for other African countries seeking to achieve universal health coverage.
Dr Kaseya made the remarks at a press conference in Accra yesterday as part of the ongoing Extraordinary Session of the African Union Assembly on Ending AIDS in Africa by 2030.
“This is something we are proud of and we want to use it as an example for other African countries to learn from what Ghana has done, because that is one way to get to universal health coverage,” he stated.
Free Primary Healthcare is a system under which essential basic health services are provided at no direct cost at the point of use.
Dr Kaseya also disclosed that Africa had mobilised about $110 million from domestic sources to support responses to Ebola and other disease outbreaks, as efforts intensify to strengthen health security and reduce reliance on external assistance.
He provided an update on the continent’s response to Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, as well as broader initiatives aimed at achieving health sovereignty.
He said Africa CDC had written to the United States Secretary of State requesting the lifting of travel restrictions imposed on Uganda, stressing that the appeal was based on scientific evidence.
“This is not an emotional decision; it is based on evidence,” he said, noting that Uganda had demonstrated strong political commitment and made significant progress in managing Ebola and other outbreaks, including Marburg virus disease.
Dr Kaseya commended African countries for increasingly financing their own emergency health responses and expressed optimism that more resources would be mobilised to support ongoing interventions.
He revealed that Africa CDC was leading clinical trials for therapeutics and preventive measures, with a vaccine clinical trial expected to begin next month.
He expressed confidence that by December 2026, Africa would have significantly strengthened its preparedness against Ebola through improved access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic tools.
“We are doing our best to ensure that African countries can say by December 2026 that, thanks to a strong continental organisation, we will not be afraid of an Ebola outbreak because we have all the medical countermeasures,” he said.
The Director-General noted that the continent’s push for health sovereignty was gaining momentum and aligned with the African Union’s broader vision of self-reliance.
He said discussions among African leaders and partners were focused on accelerating implementation of the sovereignty agenda from 2027, including in the health sector.
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