Ghana's Mahama Rejects US Health Compact Over Data Concerns

Ghana’s President, John Mahama, rejected a proposed United States health compact, labeling its conditions as “humiliating.” During a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on September 25, Mahama explained that the compact aimed to replace health funding from the United States Agency for International Development. Key concerns included demands for Ghana to provide its pathogen profile and medical records, which Mahama deemed unacceptable.

The compact also required Ghana to commit counterpart funding and exempted US-supplied medicines from inspection by Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority. The Cabinet swiftly rejected the compact, with Mahama stating it was thrown out in record time.

Following this, the Health Minister was instructed to inform the US Ambassador of Ghana's decision to proceed independently. The compact's rejection is part of the Accra Reset initiative, which seeks to reduce reliance on external health financing and bolster local health capacity.

Ghana had previously turned down the deal in 2026 after negotiations faltered over sensitive data sharing.