US asks Ghana to revisit rejected $109m health compact

The United States is seeking amendments to, and the possible removal of some clauses from, Ghana’s rejected $109m health compact, President John Dramani Mahama has said.

President Mahama said Washington had requested further discussions on the proposed agreement, but Ghana would not accept conditions that compromised its sovereignty, dignity or independence.

The compact was rejected by Cabinet in April after the president and ministers described its terms as humiliating and a threat to national sovereignty. Speaking at a town hall meeting in Goaso, the Ahafo regional capital, last Saturday, Mr Mahama said Ghana was willing to engage with the US but remained firm on its position.

Ghana’s decision, reported by Reuters on 28 April 2026, was a setback to President Donald Trump’s administration as it sought to reshape foreign aid. Other African countries also raised concerns over data governance during negotiations with the US.

Zimbabwe questioned aspects of the agreement, while a Kenyan court temporarily halted its implementation after a consumer protection group brought a case.

The US Embassy in Ghana said health assistance had continued despite the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Charge d’Affaires Rolf Olson said funding for 2025, 2026 and 2027 had been planned years earlier.

US health funding for Ghana was $82m in 2025 and was scheduled to be $53m in 2026, he said.

“That had always been the plan.

“That was ongoing in 2025, when the changes with USAID became apparent.

“Then the next amount of money in 2026 was $53 million. So again, this was money that was sort of planned over time.

“The decisions on those things were to some degree because of the timing, which is independent of the discussions around the MoU,” he explained.

The town hall marked the end of President Mahama’s two-day visit to the region as part of his nationwide “Resetting Ghana Tour”. Chiefs, residents and officials discussed the government’s development programme.

Mr Mahama thanked the Ahafo Region for supporting the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which won five of its six parliamentary seats in the 2024 General Election, and promised an equitable share of national development.

He outlined projects including the Big Push Infrastructure Development Programme, economic recovery measures, the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares), the District Assemblies Common Fund and preparations for Ghana’s 70th Independence Anniversary.

MahamaCares will support treatment for costly chronic illnesses, including cancer and kidney disease requiring dialysis. The government also plans to procure rechargeable electric wheelchairs for persons with disabilities, with a pilot beginning soon.

Agricultural measures include poultry farming, Farmer Service Centres and irrigation projects. Roads in all 16 regional capitals are to be rehabilitated or constructed ahead of the anniversary, with work already under way on selected roads in Accra.

Mr Mahama cited the Tepa–Mabang–Goaso road, being asphalted by Kofi Job Construction Limited, and the Sunyani–Ntotroso–Acherensua road, being developed by Newmont Ghana and the government. Barima Twereko Ampem, President of the Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, welcomed efforts to address the region’s road problems.

The visit began on Friday, October 9, with the inauguration of Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds at Ashiayem and Nsuapimkrom, the Bureau of National Intelligence regional office in Goaso, and inspection of a 24-unit solar-powered irrigation system at Dantano under the Feed Ghana Programme. Similar facilities are planned at Tanoso, Norbekaw, Kwapong, Asankore and Asibrim.

The president also inspected the Tepa-Goaso Road and Ntotroso Bridge, and said most Big Push contracts awarded by the end of 2025 should be completed by 2027.

He was accompanied by ministers Eric Opoku, Kwame Agbodza, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare and Mahama Ayariga, Ahafo Regional Minister Charity Gardiner and other officials.