Deputy Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has been appointed as a Secretariat Member of the African High-Level Ministerial Committee (AHLMC), a key African Union body tasked with reforming global health governance.
Her appointment forms part of efforts by the African Union to strengthen Africa’s voice and influence in global health decision-making processes.
The decision was communicated in a letter dated April 13, 2026, and signed by Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Jean Kaseya, following approval by the AU Assembly during its 39th Ordinary Session in February 2026.
The AHLMC is a flagship AU initiative aimed at consolidating Africa’s position and advocating for a more equitable, coherent, and effective global health system.
Under the framework, the Secretariat—led by the Africa CDC and supported by member states including Ghana and South Africa—provides strategic, technical, and operational support to the committee. Its mandate includes high-level policy engagement, analytical support, stakeholder coordination, and implementation of agreed reforms.
As a Secretariat member, Dr Ayensu-Danquah is expected to contribute to key priority areas such as health governance reform, sustainable financing, equitable access to healthcare, resilient health systems, and data accountability.
A board-certified general surgeon and public health policy expert, she brings extensive experience in trauma, burns, and reconstructive surgery, alongside a track record in health systems strengthening and policy alignment at both national and continental levels.
Boost for Ghana’s health diplomacy
Her appointment is seen as positioning Ghana prominently within Africa’s broader push to reshape global health governance and amplify the continent’s collective voice.
It also aligns with the health agenda of President John Dramani Mahama, which prioritises health system strengthening, preventive care, and regional cooperation.
The government has in recent months rolled out key initiatives, including the Free Primary Healthcare policy aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030, and the Ghana Medical Health Trust, designed to mobilise sustainable funding for critical healthcare delivery and infrastructure.
These interventions are expected to complement ongoing efforts to improve public health financing, rebuild confidence in the National Health Insurance Scheme, and expand access to quality care, particularly in underserved communities.
Authorities have also reiterated their commitment to strengthening Ghana’s role in continental and global health governance, with a focus on equitable access to medicines, local pharmaceutical manufacturing, disease surveillance, and data systems.
Extensive global experience
In a statement, Dr Kaseya noted that Dr Ayensu-Danquah’s leadership and experience would “greatly enrich the work of the AHLMC Secretariat” and contribute to meaningful reforms in global health systems.
Dr Ayensu-Danquah holds medical degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Southern California, as well as a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
She is licensed to practise medicine in California, Michigan, and Maryland in the United States, and operates a private surgical facility in Accra.
She also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah Center for Global Surgery.
The lawmaker has previously served on the Technical Advisory Committee on the Safety of Vaccines and Biological Products of Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority and has been involved with Days for Girls International Ghana.
Through her non-governmental initiative, Healing Hands Organisation, she has led efforts to provide free surgical care and donate medical equipment to underserved communities across the country.
She is a fellow of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons.
