Ghana Must Act Fast To Fund PHC Before Gavi Support Ends In 2030 Health Symposium

Story by Fada Amakye

Stakeholders at a multi-stakeholder academic symposium on health financing have urged government to urgently adopt a coordinated strategy to secure sustainable domestic financing for Primary Health Care and immunisation in Ghana ahead of the country’s exit from Gavi support in January 2030.

The position was contained in a statement presented at a press conference in Accra by the Country Coordinator of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Mr. Stephen Atasige.

The statement was issued in September 2026 after a symposium organized by the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, in collaboration with Hope for Future Generations and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator.

The Ho symposium, which was held on June 18, 2026 on the theme Advancing Sustainable Financing for Primary Healthcare in Ghana: From Academic Research to Policy Making, assembled participants from UHAS, University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University for Development Studies, the National Health Insurance Authority, the National Vaccine Institute and the WHO Country Office for Ghana.

Presenting the statement, Mr. Atasige observed that Ghana’s health budget has hovered between 6% and 11% of the national budget in recent years, far below the 15% target set by the Abuja Declaration.

According to him, government has responded to the financing shortfall with reforms such as the Free Primary Healthcare policy, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, uncapping of the NHIS levy and the push for domestic vaccine production through the National Vaccine Institute.

He cautioned, however, that Ghana’s immunisation programme which is still heavily dependent on Gavi and other development partners will enter Gavi’s Accelerated Transition Phase and is expected to be fully self-financed by January 2030, a situation that requires increased domestic resource mobilisation.

He emphasized that Primary Health Care remains the bedrock of Ghana’s health system and is critical to achieving Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.