A high‑level meeting in Accra on May 4th brought together ministers of health and finance from Western and Central Africa, alongside development partners, civil society, private sector representatives, and youth leaders, to advance the region’s health, nutrition, and population agenda. The World Bank Group launched its new regional health strategy, Fit to Prosper: Investing in Health for Jobs and Development in Western and Central Africa, which emphasizes health sovereignty and provides a roadmap toward universal health coverage (UHC). The strategy is built on three priorities: strengthening primary care, ensuring sustainable financing, and building resilient health systems.
Ghana’s leadership welcomed the strategy, noting its alignment with national goals of achieving UHC and strengthening health systems. Officials stressed that investing in health is also an investment in jobs, stability, and long‑term development. The World Bank underscored that quality maternal and child health services are central to breaking cycles of poverty and ill health, highlighting the importance of the first 1,000 days of life in shaping future productivity and economic growth.
The strategy is closely tied to broader initiatives, including AIM2030, which focuses on medical access and manufacturing, and the Global Financing Facility, which supports maternal and child health. It also aligns with the Bank’s ambition to reach 200 million people in the region with affordable health services by 2030.
In a joint statement, ministers emphasized that investing in health today ensures future prosperity. They called for National Health Compacts in every country to galvanize political leadership, align priorities, and unify resources under a single measurable roadmap. The statement stressed that governments must optimize existing resources while mobilizing additional domestic financing to sustain long‑term gains.
Participants highlighted that healthy populations are more productive, resilient, and capable of driving inclusive growth. They acknowledged that the public sector cannot achieve these goals alone, pointing to the private sector’s critical role in innovation, service delivery, and building local value chains for medical supplies.
The meeting was attended by ministers from across the region, representatives of embassies, regional organizations, youth leaders, and development partners including UNICEF, the UK FCDO, and JICA, underscoring the broad coalition committed to advancing health and development in Western and Central Africa.
