In his opening address, President Mahama said that Africa must urgently strengthen its healthcare value chain by leveraging its AfCFTA-enabled 1.3 billion-person market, which offered immense potential for pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology investment and vaccine production hubs. He however warned that the continent’s vulnerabilities, from weak supply chains and low manufacturing capacity to inequities exposed during COVID -19 must be decisively addressed.

“The pandemic taught us that no continent is safe until every continent is safe,” he said, urging African governments to build health sovereignty through stronger regional regulatory systems such as the Africa CDC and the African Medicines Agency (AMA).

He outlined Ghana’s three-pillar approach to health transformation:

The Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCare) to expand financing for cancer care, dialysis and chronic disease treatment.

Universal free primary healthcare, built on prevention and community-focused care to reduce catastrophic health costs.

Modernising and retooling health facilities through public–private partnerships (PPPs) to enhance infrastructure and service delivery.

The President described the private sector as indispensable to achieving these goals, citing Africa’s fast-growing innovation ecosystem, youthful population, and emerging biotech and digital health entrepreneurs. He called on global investors to co-invest with African governments to build pharmaceutical plants, vaccine hubs, diagnostic centres and technology-driven facilities that can serve the continent’s growing demand.

Ghana’s Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh  emphasised government’s effort to position the country as a sub-regional hub for medical innovation and health sector investment. He said that the ministry continued to prioritise robust infrastructure, improved health worker conditions, and public–private partnerships that expanded access and reduce inequalities.

Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare highlighted the growing intersection between health, wellness and tourism. She noted that Ghana’s expanding wellness and medical tourism ecosystem provided opportunities to attract investment while creating new income streams for the creative, hospitality and wellness sectors. She said that government saw health security and wellbeing as essential pillars for development, national branding and sustainable tourism growth.

Mr Peter Hall, President for the Middle East, India, Türkiye & Africa at Informa Markets, described WHX Leaders as more than a meeting  but a call to action. He said that the platform was deliberately curated to bring ministers, policymakers, investors, and executives into one room capable of shaping Africa’s investment priorities and influencing policy reforms. “This is where ideas meet influence, and where influence becomes impact,” he noted adding that deeper private–public collaboration is essential to unlocking scalable, sustainable solutions that can improve millions of lives.

In an interview with Business Ghana, Mokgadi (Lischen) Mashishi, Country Lead for Africa Access Markets at Organon South Africa, addressed barriers affecting women’s access to reproductive and family health services. She listed cultural taboos, weak policy implementation, misinformation, health inequities for women outside capital cities, and shrinking donor funding .

Madam Mashishi tied these barriers to Africa’s maternal and child mortality burden. Current global figures showed 303,000 women die while giving life (62% in Africa), 2.6 million stillbirths (42% in Africa), 2.5 million newborn deaths (40% from Africa), contributing to more than 2.3 million overall deaths, over half the global total. She called for sustained domestic financing, mobile and digital health solutions, stronger supply chains, and multi-sector cooperation involving education and telecoms.

Throughout the two-day summit, delegates participated in panel discussions on financing, innovation, data-driven healthcare, women’s health, infrastructure, and digital transformation. The summit concluded with a renewed call for African-led solutions, stronger alliances, and sustained investment to catalyse a healthier and more equitable continent.