Bagbin re-inaugurates African health and human rights commission, donates GH¢100,000

Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Bagbin, has re-inaugurated the African Commission of Health and Human Rights Promoters and officially launched its Endowment Fund with a personal contribution of GH¢100,000.

The ceremony, held at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra on Thursday, September 17, also witnessed the swearing-in of a five-member Board of the Commission, marking a new phase in the organisation’s efforts to promote health rights, human dignity, accountability, and social justice.

Addressing the gathering, Speaker Bagbin stressed the importance of building institutions that can effectively bridge the gap between public policy and the everyday experiences of citizens, particularly vulnerable and marginalised groups.

He said the sustainability of such institutions was critical to their ability to deliver on their mandates, cautioning that policies and institutions could not achieve meaningful results without adequate and reliable resources.

Bagbin calls for sustainable financing

The Speaker made a strong case for sustainable financing of institutions working in health and human rights, likening an institution without adequate resources to a vehicle without fuel.

He urged corporate organisations, international partners, and other stakeholders to support the Commission’s Endowment Fund to enable it to operate with greater sustainability and independence.

According to him, institutions should not depend solely on irregular budgetary allocations, short-term donor grants, or temporary contributions if they are expected to provide lasting solutions to challenges confronting society.

He cited healthcare interventions, including dialysis services, to illustrate the need to combine policy decisions with sustainable financing mechanisms.

“The most important thing is to look at how that is going to sustain. How will that function?” he said.

Five-member board sworn in

The re-inauguration also culminated in the swearing-in of a five-member Board of the Commission by Speaker Bagbin.

In acknowledging the newly appointed Board members and the Commission’s leadership, the Speaker described their responsibility as both “heavy” and “noble.”

He urged them to be bold in defending the voices of vulnerable people and to ensure that their work remains objective and evidence-driven.

He further called on the Board to remain accessible to rural farmers, the urban poor, and other marginalised groups.

According to the Speaker, the ultimate measure of the Commission’s success should not be the scale of its inauguration, but the number of people who experience justice, healing, and dignity as a result of its interventions.

Bagbin declares Commission re-inaugurated

At the conclusion of his address, Speaker Bagbin formally declared the African Commission of Health and Human Rights Promoters duly re-inaugurated and officially launched its Endowment Fund.

He subsequently announced his personal contribution of GH¢100,000 to the Fund.

The gesture came as the Commission appealed to stakeholders to support its efforts to establish a sustainable financial base for its renewed activities.

Commission outlines renewed mandate

Chief Executive Officer of the African Commission of Health and Human Rights Promoters, Bishop Louis Christian Godson, outlined three strategic pillars that will guide the organisation’s renewed operations.

These are advocacy and education, accountability and redress, and policy integration.

He said the Commission would intensify public education on patients’ rights, engage healthcare providers, provide platforms for reporting violations and contribute to policy discussions on health and human rights.

Mental health, access to healthcare, health insurance, and environmental health are also expected to form part of the Commission’s renewed advocacy agenda.

Bishop Godson further identified illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, as a public health concern and called for stronger research, monitoring, and public education on the health implications of environmental pollution.

CEO announces US$10bn Endowment Fund ambition

Speaking on the Endowment Fund, Bishop Godson said the Commission had set an ambitious target of raising US$10 billion within five years to create a long-term financial backbone for its programmes.

He said adequate resources would be required to support research, legal aid, environmental testing, monitoring, and other interventions.

According to him, advocacy requires research, while meaningful justice interventions require legal support and environmental protection requires appropriate scientific monitoring facilities.

He described the Endowment Fund as critical to the Commission’s sustainability, particularly given the limitations of relying exclusively on short-term donor grants and irregular funding cycles.

Commission traces roots to HIV/AIDS advocacy

Founder of the Commission, Naa Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle, recalled the organisation’s origins and its early human rights advocacy during the HIV/AIDS era.

He said the Commission was established to respond to discrimination and other human rights concerns affecting people living with HIV/AIDS.

Professor Delle also recalled the organisation’s involvement in supporting people fleeing persecution and torture, including journalists who sought refuge in Ghana.

He said financial constraints subsequently affected the Commission’s operations, making the renewed initiative and Endowment Fund important to rebuilding its capacity.

Focus on dignity and vulnerable populations

The re-inauguration comes with a renewed commitment to placing human dignity at the centre of health advocacy and protecting people whose access to healthcare and human rights may be affected by poverty, discrimination, disability, social exclusion, and other vulnerabilities.

Speaker Bagbin urged the Commission’s leadership to translate its renewed mandate into practical interventions capable of improving the lives of ordinary people.

He also called for a future in which no Ghanaian or African is forced to regard quality healthcare as a luxury beyond their reach.

“Quality health care must be a daily lived reality here in Ghana and Africa today,” the Speaker said.

The re-inauguration and Endowment Fund launch therefore mark a new chapter for the African Commission of Health and Human Rights Promoters as it seeks to strengthen its work in health advocacy, human rights protection, accountability, research, and policy engagement in Ghana and beyond.