Western and Central African Leaders Launch a Roadmap to Tackle Health Crisis in the Region

ACCRA, May 5, 2026 - A dozen ministers of health and finance, alongside representatives of development partners, the private sector, civil society, regional institutions and youth leaders from Western and Central Africa concluded a one-day meeting in Accra on May 4^th to advance the health, nutrition and population agenda and deliver better access to quality health care for communities across the region.

During the event, the World Bank Group (WBG) launched its regional health strategy "Fit to Prosper: Investing in Health for Jobs and Development in Western and Central Africa", a country-driven roadmap anchored in the principle of health sovereignty. The strategy provides a roadmap to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), while underscoring that health investments are essential not only for saving lives but also for economic growth driven by quality jobs both today and tomorrow. The Fit to Prosper strategy is built on three strategic priorities: Frontlines First (strengthening service delivery with a focus on primary care), Fixing Finance (ensuring sustainable investment), and Future Fit (building health system resilience).

"For us in Ghana, this strategy aligns closely with our national vision: achieving universal health coverage, strengthening our health systems, and ensuring that every citizen-regardless of income or location can access quality care", said Hon Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Republic of Ghana, "By investing in health, we are investing in jobs, in stability, and in the future of Western and Central Africa. Ghana stands ready and committed to the successful implementation of this Regional Strategy. Let us work together to ensure that no mother dies while giving life, no child suffers from preventable disease, and no citizen is pushed into poverty by the cost of care."

The Strategy is closely aligned with the WBG's regional ambition to support countries to reach 200 million people with quality, affordable health services by 2030-contributing to the global goal of 1.5 billion people; with the Bank Group flagship Africa Initiative for Medical Access and Manufacturing (AIM2030) with its strong focus on the private sector and critical UHC; and the National Health Compacts to support countries align health priorities and resources around a single measurable roadmap to achieve UHC. Fit to Prosper is also aligned with the Global Financing Facility (GFF), a country-led, catalytic financing partnership focused on ending preventable maternal and child deaths, and key enabler for the implementation of the Strategy.

"Our goal is to ensure that quality affordable maternal and child health services are available to all - so that every pregnant woman can deliver her baby safely, every child can grow up healthy, well-nourished, and protected from preventable childhood diseases, and no family is pushed into poverty to access the care they need" said Mamta Murthi, World Bank Group Vice President, People. "Breaking the cycle of poverty and ill health requires investing now. It means recognizing that a child's health in the first 1,000 days of life goes a long way towards shaping their future - their ability to learn, to work, to be productive, and to contribute to a thriving economy. It means building health systems that are truly fit to help people and communities prosper."

In a joint statement endorsed at the meeting, the ministers and heads of delegation emphasized that by investing in health today, countries can ensure that the next generation is not only fit to survive but also fit to prosper. Governments should optimize the use of existing resources to spend better while mobilizing additional domestic resources for health to achieve and sustain long-term development gains. They advocated for the realization of National Health Compacts in every country. These compacts which are high-level agreements to outline national commitments to expand affordable, quality healthcare; help to galvanize political leadership; clarify policy reform priorities; and bring together the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, and all development partners to align around a single country-led plan - one plan, one budget, and one reporting system.

Investing in health is both a development and an economic imperative. Healthy populations are more productive, more resilient to shocks, and better equipped to drive job creation and economic growth. Strengthening health and nutrition systems is therefore essential to boosting productivity, enabling inclusive growth, and advancing UHC.

The ministers acknowledged that the public sector cannot achieve these goals alone, noting that the private sector is an essential partner in innovation, service delivery, and the development of local value chains for medical countermeasures and other health commodities.

The meeting was attended by ministers and representatives from countries from Western and Central Africa, embassies, regional organizations, private sector and youth leaders, as well as representatives from development partners, including the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (UK FCDO), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).