President John Dramani Mahama has called for stronger international collaboration to confront rising global health risks, warning that climate change, environmental degradation, and pollution are increasingly placing pressure on health systems, food security, and livelihoods.
Speaking at the One Health Summit in Lyon, France, the President said the world must adopt more integrated and urgent responses to emerging threats that cut across public health, agriculture, and the environment.
He argued that the growing interaction between environmental stress and human health was fuelling “disease outbreaks,” disrupting food systems and exposing vulnerable populations, particularly in developing countries, to bigger economic and social risks.
Drawing on Ghana’s experience, President Mahama pointed to the effects of illegal mining on agricultural production and environmental safety, describing the situation as a clear example of how ecological damage can undermine both economic resilience and public well-being.
He specifically highlighted the impact on cocoa farming and broader ecosystem stability, noting that such pressures were not only affecting output and land productivity but also posing wider public health concerns.
The President said countries most exposed to these overlapping threats often lacked the financial and institutional capacity to respond effectively, making the case for “strengthened international cooperation,” increased investment, and sustained political commitment.
His remarks placed emphasis on the need to close what he described as an imbalance in global preparedness and response capacity, particularly for countries facing high vulnerability but limited support.
President Mahama also emphasized the importance of the One Health framework, describing it as a necessary approach for linking human, animal, and environmental health in policy design and implementation.
He said advancing a more coordinated and preventive health model would be critical to building resilience, especially across Africa, where environmental and health vulnerabilities continue to intersect with food production, employment, and economic stability.
According to him, a “healthy and resilient Africa” remains essential not only for the continent’s development but also for broader global stability and sustainable growth.
The One Health Summit brought together global leaders, policymakers, and health experts to examine practical strategies for responding to shared health and environmental threats through cross-sector collaboration.
