Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on African leaders to take bold steps towards achieving health sovereignty by investing in traditional medicine and establishing a dedicated African Health Fund.
Speaking at the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit held in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday, Obasanjo said the continent must stop depending on foreign aid to solve its health crises and begin to harness local resources and indigenous knowledge.
“We had Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19, yet we survived them all. But we must stop wringing our hands and take responsibility for our health future,” Obasanjo told a gathering of current and former African heads of state, global health experts, and development partners.
He urged governments to integrate traditional medicine into national healthcare systems, noting that nearly 80 percent of modern pharmaceuticals are derived from herbs.
“The herbs in our villages and rural communities are valuable. They are part of the solution. If properly researched and applied, traditional medicine can complement conventional care,” he said.
Obasanjo also stressed the need for African countries to strengthen their health insurance systems and allocate at least 25 percent of their national budgets to the health sector.
He lamented that while some African nations have insurance schemes in place, they remain underfunded and poorly implemented.
At the continental level, the former president proposed the creation of an African Health Fund — similar to the existing Peace Fund — to be managed by the African Development Bank. He suggested innovative funding models such as surcharges on flights entering or leaving the continent.
“If we can mobilise resources to support peace initiatives in Africa, we can do the same to secure the health of our people,” he said.
Highlighting the urgency of global health threats, Obasanjo warned that pandemics know no borders and Africa must prepare proactively.
“Our new slogan should be ‘Africa: Health Without AIDS,’ but it must be backed by real commitment and global cooperation,” he added.
The summit, part of the broader Accra Initiative, aims to reposition Africa as a proactive actor in shaping its own health outcomes, with an emphasis on sustainability, resilience, and equity.
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