President Mahama Outlines Seven Priorities for Stronger Health Regulation in Africa
President John Dramani Mahama has outlined seven priority areas for African medical regulators, urging them to strengthen cooperation, embrace innovation and place patient safety at the centre of every regulatory decision.
He said the priorities should guide deliberations at the 28th Annual International Conference of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA) and contribute to building safer and more resilient health systems across the continent.
The conference, hosted in Accra by the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Medical and Dental Council, is on the theme: “Responsive Regulation for Safer Communities Towards Universal Health Coverage.”
President Mahama said the first priority was to strengthen regulatory harmonisation through deeper cooperation, reliable verification systems and appropriate recognition of professional qualifications without lowering standards.
The second priority, he noted, was investment in regulatory science to ensure that decisions were informed by evidence and that regulators possessed the skills to respond to emerging technologies, changing workforce patterns and new health risks.
He said the third priority was the development of secure data exchange systems that would support timely information sharing among regulatory authorities while safeguarding privacy and ensuring proper data governance.
On the fourth priority, the President emphasised protecting the integrity of health professional education through quality accreditation, assessments, internship, continuing professional development and ethical training.
The fifth priority, he said, was the establishment of practical regulatory frameworks for humanitarian and fragile settings to enable rapid emergency response without compromising professional standards and accountability.
President Mahama identified the sixth priority as the need to regulate digital health and artificial intelligence with urgency, wisdom and a clear commitment to equity, stressing that technological innovation must support rather than replace professional judgement.
He said the seventh and final priority was to place patients and the public at the heart of every regulatory decision.
“The true measure of a regulator is not how many licences it issues, but how effectively it protects the people and the patients,” President Mahama stated.
He added that universal health coverage could not be achieved without universal health confidence, where citizens are assured that healthcare professionals are competent, ethical and accountable whether services are delivered in hospitals, clinics or through digital platforms.
The President urged participants to ensure the conference produced practical policy recommendations, stronger institutional collaboration, improved information sharing and renewed continental commitment to high professional standards.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
