President Obasanjo
President Ameenah
Dr. Tedros
Distinguished participants

Allow me to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to His Excellency President Mahama for convening this extraordinary gathering. Mr. President, your leadership has been steadfast—from Liberia’s darkest hours during the Ebola outbreak to leading this new era of health sovereignty.

I am so pleased to see President Obasanjo as part of this initiative. He brings experience, knowledge, and passion to all continental and global initiatives.

President Ameenah, I am thankful that you are lending your expertise and experience to this effort.

Dr. Tedros, you have stood at the very eye of the storm, leading with clarity and courage, and championing transformative reforms in global health as WHO Director-General.

Ladies and gentlemen, today is more than a meeting. It is a clear signal that Africa will no longer stand at the margins of global health leadership. This is our moment to lead, to shape, and to own our future. The challenges before us demand African solutions, driven by African resources, African expertise, and African determination.

We have met here today not because Africa is at a crossroads—but because Africa has already made its choice. The choice to lead. The choice to be self-reliant. The choice to build health sovereignty on African terms.

But choices are meaningless without action. And the action we need starts with three priorities:
First—We must fix the digital blind spot in our health systems. Today, fewer than 30% of African health systems are digitized. This is not just a gap—it is a vulnerability. Without digital sovereignty and infrastructure, Africa will remain dependent and reactive. Sovereignty demands that we control our own health data and systems. Digital health is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity. We must invest in training, connectivity, and the digital backbone that will enable Africa to anticipate and defeat outbreaks before they become disasters.

As one speaker rightly emphasized, digitizing our health systems is no longer optional. Investing in digital health infrastructure is also an investment in job creation for Africa’s youth, who make up the majority of our continent’s growing population.

When we build digital systems, we are not only building technology—we are building opportunities for young Africans to innovate, to lead, and to drive this transformation.

Second, support for the Pandemic Fund is critical, but it must work for Africa. The Pandemic Fund has provided essential resources, but Africa’s needs are vast and growing. I urge all African countries to continue seeking its support, but also to demand transparency, equity, and partnership in how these resources are allocated. Africa must not be a passive recipient of global health funds. We must be architects of how these resources are designed and delivered. The Fund must not become another bureaucracy. It must be a tool that empowers countries to act swiftly and decisively.

Third, we must re-energize the Abuja Declaration and get serious about financing our own health future. Let us be honest: only three countries have consistently met the 15% target. That is not good enough. We must go beyond Abuja—not just in commitments, but in innovative actions. Solidarity levies, diaspora bonds, and targeted taxes are practical options that can mobilize hundreds of millions annually. Africa has the means. What we need now is the political will. It is time for every African government to match their ambitions with real, measurable investment in health.

Let us also be reminded that women are central to this conversation—not as beneficiaries, but as leaders, caregivers, and frontline defenders of our health systems. Their unique experiences—as mothers, community health workers, scientists, and policymakers—place them at the heart of building resilient, responsive, and inclusive health systems. Africa’s health sovereignty will not be achieved without the full leadership and participation of its women.

Friends, these are not abstract ideas. They are choices. If we want sovereignty, if we want to protect our people, if we want to stop begging every time a crisis hits, then we must act differently.

Africa’s health future will not be given. It will be claimed—by us, through bold action.

Thank you.