The Accra Reset initiative has announced the formation of an 18-member high-level panel tasked with proposing reforms to the global health architecture and governance system.
The initiative, championed by President John Dramani Mahama, seeks to advance African health and economic sovereignty by ensuring that countries in the Global South play a more active role in shaping international health policies.
According to a statement from the Chancery of the Accra Reset, the panel has been mandated to develop “concrete, actionable proposals” to restructure what it describes as a global health order that has historically positioned Global South governments as passive participants rather than equal stakeholders.
The panel will be co-chaired by prominent global health and policy figures, including Peter Piot, El Hadj As Sy, Nísia Trindade, and Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
Its work will be guided by a High-Level Consultative Group designed to facilitate structured engagement with major global health institutions such as the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, AUDA-NEPAD, and the International Finance Corporation.
The panel is expected to begin work immediately, with its terms of reference to be finalized and adopted with input from key global bodies, including the World Health Assembly and the United Nations General Assembly.
Former UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé has been appointed Special Advisor to the panel and Envoy to the co-chairs.
He is expected to bring extensive experience in global health systems to support the panel’s work.
Membership of the panel includes policymakers, academics, and industry leaders from across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Notable members include Nigeria’s Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate, public health expert Catherine Kyobutungi, and former WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan.
Others are John Nkengasong, Executive Director of the MasterCard Foundation and former head of Africa CDC, and Moustapha Cissé, founder of Google Africa’s first artificial intelligence lab.
The High-Level Consultative Group supporting the panel also features influential global figures, including WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, among others.
The Accra Reset initiative positions the panel as a critical step toward redefining global health governance to better reflect equity, sovereignty, and inclusive decision-making, particularly for developing nations.
The announcement was made by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications.
Source :www.kumasimail.com
