Sarkodie applauds Mahama over rejection of US health compact

Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie has commended President John Dramani Mahama for rejecting a proposed United States health compact that the government considered to contain unacceptable conditions.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Sarkodie thanked the President for what he described as a step towards restoring Ghana’s dignity and respect on the international stage.

“Thank you, Mr. President… Hopefully one day we gain back the full respect deserved,” he wrote.

His comments come after President Mahama disclosed that Cabinet swiftly rejected the proposed health compact following concerns over some of its provisions.

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Friday, September 25, 2026, President Mahama said the Health Ministry had reviewed the compact, which was presented as a replacement for funding Ghana lost following the termination of USAID support.

The Ministry subsequently prepared a Cabinet Information Paper on the agreement.

“And so the compact was brought to the cabinet, and we flagged several things in the compact,” President Mahama said.

Thank you Mr President … Hopefully one day we gain back the full respect deserved 🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/790cRL7C8r

According to him, one of the major concerns was a provision requiring Ghana to provide its pathogen profile, information on diseases endemic to the country.

“It means that diseases that are endemic in Ghana. What are diseases endemic in Ghana? What is the pathogen profile of a country? I’m sure there are medical experts who understand that better than me,” he said.

President Mahama also questioned a separate requirement for Ghana to provide medical records.

“I mean, who takes another country’s medical records? And so that was strange,” he said.

He further disclosed that the agreement required Ghana to contribute a specified amount of funding towards the programme while restricting the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) from inspecting medicines and medical products brought into the country under the arrangement.

President Mahama described the conditions as “humiliating” and said Cabinet consequently rejected the compact within a short period.

“I mean, it was humiliating. And so it was the compact that was thrown out in record time in our cabinet. I’ve never seen anything thrown out as fast as that. And so, of course, we rejected it,” he said.

Sarkodie’s remarks have since drawn attention to the President’s account of the negotiations and the government’s decision to reject the proposed agreement.