The global market for artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled healthcare is projected to grow from US$15 billion in 2023 to approximately US$188 billion by 2030, Dr George Agyekum Donkor, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), has said.
He added that the global digital health market was also expected to exceed US$900 billion by 2030, underscoring the rapid transformation taking place in healthcare worldwide.
Dr Donkor made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the International Conference on AI in Healthcare and Pharma (ICAIH), being hosted by the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho.
The three-day conference is on the theme: “Transforming Healthcare from Expenders to ‘Healthpreneurs’: Leveraging AI as the Bedrock for Regional Cooperation.”
He urged African countries to rethink their healthcare systems by embracing artificial intelligence to improve diagnostics, research, pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical technologies and enterprise development that would serve the broader population.
Dr Donkor noted that although the West African Development Outlook (WADO) projected economic growth of 4.8 percent for the ECOWAS sub-region in 2025, productivity remained relatively low, while nearly six million people were expected to be unemployed by the end of 2026.
He said the region’s health systems continued to face growing demand for healthcare services, rising cases of chronic diseases and persistent shortages of skilled healthcare professionals.
Citing estimates by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Donkor said the world would face a shortage of about 11 million health workers by 2030, with Africa expected to experience some of the greatest challenges.
He stressed that artificial intelligence should be viewed as a tool to strengthen healthcare systems rather than replace health professionals.
“Artificial Intelligence is not here to replace healthcare professionals; rather, it is a critical tool for extending AI reach and enabling better care with limited resources,” he said.
Dr Donkor said AI was already transforming healthcare across the entire value chain, including disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, logistics, pharmaceutical research, hospital administration and public health surveillance.
Professor Lydia Aziato, Vice-Chancellor of UHAS, called for stronger collaboration among universities, industry and development partners to integrate artificial intelligence into health education, research and healthcare delivery.
She said the university is committed to producing graduates equipped with AI and digital competencies to meet the evolving needs of the global healthcare sector.
Prof Aziato said partnerships would be essential to achieving that goal and ensuring Ghana remained competitive in the rapidly changing health landscape.
Prof Alexander Ansah Manu, Lecturer at the Institute of Health Research, UHAS, and Lead Organiser of the conference, described artificial intelligence as an inevitable technological advancement that should be embraced and responsibly integrated into Ghana’s healthcare system.
He said AI should be regarded as a complementary tool that enhances, rather than replaces, human intelligence in healthcare delivery.
While AI relies on data, algorithms and statistical models, he said healthcare must continue to uphold compassion, ethics and professional judgement as essential elements of patient care.
The conference is being held under the broader theme, “Accelerating Adoption of Healthcare AI in Ghana: From Vision and Policy to Practice and Impact.”
It has brought together policymakers, researchers, healthcare professionals, regulators, technology companies and development partners to discuss the adoption of AI in healthcare.
Key partners include the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNESCO, UNICEF, the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HEFRA), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), the University of Ghana, the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), the Ministry of Health, the African Development Bank (AfDB), Microsoft, Melcom, the African Union (AU), EBID and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
