Ghana is reviewing a revised health funding agreement submitted by the United States after the government rejected an earlier proposal over concerns about national sovereignty, data protection and compliance with domestic laws, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has disclosed.
Mr Akandoh said the revised memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be submitted to Cabinet for consideration, stressing that the government would not approve any arrangement that compromised Ghana’s national interests.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Monday, October 19, the minister said the government remained open to international health partnerships but insisted that such arrangements must respect Ghana’s laws and dignity.
“As of the last time I checked, they resubmitted another MoU because we decided not to go with the first one. And we are looking at it, and we’ll go to Cabinet for consideration,” he said.
Ghana rejected the initial $109 million health funding compact following a review by the Ministry of Health and Cabinet, citing concerns that some of its provisions were unacceptable.
The proposed agreement was intended to replace health funding previously provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Mr Akandoh explained that the Ministry of Health received the initial document from a US delegation but insisted that it required careful scrutiny and possible amendments before Ghana could consider signing it.
He said the ministry identified several concerns and prepared an information paper for Cabinet, which ultimately decided that the country should not proceed with the original proposal.
The minister said President John Dramani Mahama had directed ministers to refer major decisions about which they were uncertain to Cabinet for collective consideration.
Following Cabinet’s decision, Mr Akandoh and the Minister for Foreign Affairs were tasked with communicating Ghana’s position to their US counterparts.
Among the contentious provisions, he said, was a clause that would exempt US pharmaceutical products covered by the agreement from verification or certification by Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
He also questioned provisions requiring Ghana to share health data with the United States, arguing that the country needed to carefully assess the implications regardless of whether the information was individual or aggregated data.
“I’ve heard some people saying it is not individual data. They were looking for aggregated data. Whether aggregated data or individual data is data,” he said.
Mr Akandoh further questioned the emphasis on the United States’ “America First” policy in the proposed arrangement, arguing that Ghana must equally prioritise its own national interests.
“So you also have to tell yourself Ghana first. So we came from Ghana first to meet America First,” he said.
He maintained that several provisions of the original compact were inconsistent with Ghana’s domestic laws, making it necessary for the government to reconsider the terms before committing to the partnership.
Despite the rejection of the initial proposal, the minister said Ghana was not opposed to cooperation with the United States in the health sector.
He stressed that any agreement must be based on mutual respect and protect Ghana’s sovereignty.
“No, I’m never under any pressure. Trust us to take the best decision in the interest of the country,” he said when asked whether he was facing pressure to sign the compact.
“We need partnership, but we need partnership with respect and dignity. So these fragmentations and tendencies and promises of partnership — no, we will have to move from dependency to dignity, from fragmentation to solidarity,” he added.
His comments follow President Mahama’s disclosure that the United States had requested further discussions with Ghana to amend or remove some provisions of the proposed agreement.
The government is expected to complete its assessment of the revised MoU and submit it to Cabinet before deciding whether to proceed with the proposed health funding partnership.
