Entrepreneur and investor Dr. Sangu Delle has called for African governments and investors to focus on homegrown reforms and innovation in healthcare, warning that copying Western systems without adaptation will not deliver results.
Speaking on PanaGeniusTV, a YouTube channel monitored by KumasiMail’s Northern Regional Editor, the Founder and CEO of CarePoint, a pan-African health group, said African countries must design health systems that reflect their unique realities rather than import models wholesale.
“Our healthcare system should be designed for Africa, not transplanted from the West,” he said. “You cannot copy and paste a model that works in New York or London and expect it to function the same way in Accra or Nairobi.”
Delle, who also chairs Golden Palm Investments Ltd, said many African health challenges persist because governments fail to align health investments with efficiency and accountability.
“We keep building new hospitals when existing ones are collapsing,” he noted. “We need to fix management, ensure accountability, and invest in preventive care. The solutions must be systemic, not cosmetic.”
He added that Africa’s healthcare transformation must be rooted in local innovation, technology, and leadership. “We have the talent. What we lack is coordination and execution,” he said. “Technology can make healthcare more affordable and accessible, but we must invest in systems that work for our people.”
On the private sector’s role, Delle stressed the need for sustainable investment models that balance profitability with social impact. “Healthcare is not charity,” he said. “But it also cannot be run purely as a profit-driven business. The sweet spot is building enterprises that save lives while staying financially sustainable.”
He urged policymakers to reduce bureaucratic hurdles that discourage health investors. “If governments streamline licensing, taxation, and regulation, you’ll see an explosion of innovation,” he explained. “We need an enabling environment, not red tape.”
Delle also called on young Africans to view healthcare as a viable career path beyond medicine. “We need health economists, administrators, technologists, data analysts – the entire ecosystem,” he said. “Healthcare is not just doctors and nurses; it’s management, design, and delivery.”
He warned that without deliberate reform, Africa risks remaining dependent on imported medical technology and expatriate expertise. “If we don’t invest in our own systems now, we’ll keep outsourcing our health and our future,” he cautioned.
Source: www.Kumasimail.com / JosephZiem
