National Coordinator of NCD Alliance Ghana and Executive Director of Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development, Ghana, Labram Musah, has been named a 2025 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Champion by the global Universal Health Coverage campaign in recognition of his outstanding contribution to advancing equitable health access.
In a statement, the NCD Alliance Ghana noted that the recognition highlights the impact of his advocacy work in Ghana and reflects the campaign’s broader objective of inspiring action, amplifying grassroots voices, and demonstrating that meaningful change is possible through sustained community engagement and policy advocacy.
A major milestone linked to this recognition is the development of the 2024 Civil Society NCDs Manifesto for Political Parties, which elevated non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to the forefront of national political discourse. Under Mr. Musah’s leadership, NCD Alliance Ghana successfully pushed for the integration of comprehensive NCD and mental health services into the National Health Insurance Authority framework through the National Health Insurance Scheme, aimed at reducing financial barriers to treatment and care.
“Mr. Musah is leveraging the VAST Ghana platform to intensify advocacy for sustainable domestic funding and resource mobilization via health excise taxes and recognizing that NCDs and mental health remain critically underfunded, “the statement noted
The recognition also reinforces the Alliance’s advocacy for political parties to prioritize prevention, treatment, and care for NCDs and mental health conditions as critical national development issues.
By aligning advocacy efforts with Ghana’s UHC roadmap and international health commitments, Mr. Musah has helped ensure that people living with NCDs and mental health conditions are actively included in shaping policies for a more inclusive health system.
Through VAST Ghana, he is also intensifying advocacy for sustainable domestic health financing, particularly through health excise taxes and other resource mobilization strategies, to address chronic underfunding of NCD and mental health services in Ghana and across sub-Saharan Africa.
A key policy demand championed by civil society was realized in 2025 when the Government of Ghana exempted the National Health Insurance Fund from the statutory fiscal cap, a move widely viewed as critical to strengthening the country’s health financing structure and expanding access to care.
This development, together with the launch of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund and the rollout of the Free Primary Health Care initiative, has been described as a significant step toward health equity in the country.
“Removing caps on the National Health Insurance Fund was a crucial step toward sustainable financing for universal health coverage. Now we must continue strengthening primary health care and ensuring that NCD and mental health services are fully integrated and accessible to all,” the statement stated.
Over the years, Mr. Musah has emerged as one of Ghana’s most respected voices on health equity, consistently championing the concerns of patients, caregivers, and communities often excluded from policy discussions.
His work has focused strongly on health financing, primary healthcare strengthening, and the inclusion of NCD and mental health services in national health coverage systems—areas that remain critically underfunded in many African countries.
Through coalition-building, stakeholder engagement, and sustained public advocacy, he has contributed significantly to reshaping national conversations on what universal health coverage should mean for ordinary Ghanaians.
NCD Alliance Ghana says it will continue advocating for stronger primary healthcare systems through increased investment in community-level facilities, healthcare workers, and access to essential medicines.
The Alliance also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that people living with NCDs and mental health conditions remain central to policy design and implementation.
As a 2025 UHC Champion, Mr. Musah is expected to play a broader ambassadorial role by sharing Ghana’s experiences with the global health community, supporting advocacy efforts across Africa, and contributing to the international drive toward achieving health for all by 2030.