Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has issued a blunt call for African-led solutions to the continent’s deepening health crisis, insisting that reliance on foreign aid is no longer sustainable.
Speaking at the African Faith and Health Leaders
Consultation in Nairobi, hosted by Christian Connections for International
Health, CCIH, the All Africa Conference of Churches, AACC, and the Africa
Christian Health Associations Platform, ACHAP, Kukah challenged faith leaders,
civil society and governments to take urgent action.
He said: “We must hold the feet of our politicians to the
fire. Africa cannot continue to blame the victim or hide under a theology of
helplessness. God cannot be the default solution because our health systems
have failed our people.”
The gathering, which brought together bishops, archbishops
and pastors from 10 sub-Saharan nations, focused on equitable health financing,
sustainable models of care for underserved communities and strategies to
strengthen local advocacy.
Kukah lamented the failure of African governments to honour
the Abuja Declaration, in which countries pledged 15 percent of national
budgets to health.
He said: “Our churches have a powerful moral voice, but we
lack the tools for data and analysis; commitments on paper mean nothing if
politicians are not held accountable.”
He recounted the human toll of weak health systems, sharing
stories of Nigerians struggling to pay hospital bills.
He said, “People are grabbed by poverty and desperation. My
phone never stops ringing, someone’s father, someone’s child, begging for help.
This is not how a society should function.”
Kukah also called for stronger local resource mobilisation,
urging Africans to rethink spending priorities.
He stressed, “It is more expensive to die in Africa than to
live. There are people with enormous wealth; are we engaging them? Are they
investing in the health of our people? We cannot wait until the taps run dry in
Europe and America.”
Beyond healthcare, he reflected on Africa’s political
challenges and the role of the church in shaping governance. “There is no
alternative to democracy. If we are not at the table, then we are on the menu.
We need more good people from civil society to step forward, engage
politically, and shape the future,” he said.
The consultation continues with sessions on local health
manufacturing, equitable financing, government collaboration and
community-level interventions.
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