Thursday, 26 June

Mahama in Brussels to champion GAVI vaccine replenishment at Global Health Summit

Health News
John Mahama

President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has arrived in Brussels, Belgium, to play a leading advocacy role at the Global Summit on Health and Prosperity through Immunisation, focused on mobilising resources for the GAVI Alliance’s 2026–2030 vaccine replenishment strategy.

The high-level summit, co-hosted by the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, brings together global leaders to secure support for Gavi’s mission to immunise an additional 500 million children, save over 8 million lives, and prevent up to 150 disease outbreaks over the next five years.

The initiative is also projected to generate more than $100 billion in economic benefits globally.

President Mahama, a longstanding advocate of equitable vaccine access, is attending the summit in his capacity as a Gavi Champion.

His participation underscores the critical importance of global solidarity in expanding immunisation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Drawing from Ghana’s experience with transformative immunisation programmes, President Mahama reiterated his belief in the power of vaccines to save lives and boost development.

He previously played a similar ambassadorial role for Gavi in 2013, helping to galvanise international support for its life-saving mission.

“A fully funded Gavi will not only save millions of lives but also unlock economic potential and strengthen global health security,” President Mahama emphasised.

The summit serves as a platform to attract renewed commitments from both traditional and emerging donors, while highlighting the GAVI Alliance’s long-standing impact.

Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped immunise over one billion children, prevented an estimated 18.8 million deaths, and generated more than $250 billion in economic gains for lower-income countries.

 

During his stay in Brussels, President Mahama is expected to hold bilateral talks with several global leaders, including the President of the European Union Council of Ministers and philanthropist Bill Gates, to deepen collaboration on global health and development priorities.

Source: Classfmonline.com/Cecil Mensah