Founder and Chairman of the African Commission of Health and Human Rights Promoters, Naa Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle, has called for a renewed focus on the protection of human dignity, access to quality healthcare, and the rights of vulnerable and marginalised people across Ghana and Africa.
Prof. Delle made the call during the re-inauguration of the African Commission of Health and Human Rights Promoters at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, where he outlined his vision for rebuilding the Commission into a stronger platform for health and human rights advocacy, research, and public education.
xWe want to make the centre to study what we mean by human rights, what we mean by health, and what we mean by advocacy,x Prof. Delle said.
He said the renewed Commission would seek to deepen understanding of the relationship between health and human rights while creating practical avenues for advocacy and support for people whose rights and well-being are affected by poverty, discrimination, and inadequate access to healthcare.
Prof. Delle stressed that every person, irrespective of their social or economic circumstances, should be treated with dignity and have access to appropriate healthcare.
He said greater attention must also be paid to prisoners and other vulnerable populations whose circumstances could expose them to violations of their fundamental rights.
Drawing on his earlier experiences, Prof. Delle recalled cases involving vulnerable people he encountered during his work in Ghanaxs prisons and said such experiences reinforced the need for institutions dedicated to protecting human rights and promoting access to healthcare.
He said the Commissionxs renewed work would therefore be anchored in research, advocacy, and public education, with the broader objective of contributing to a stronger culture of respect for health and human rights.
Prof. Delle also used the occasion to recount the origins of the Commission and its early interventions in defending people living with HIV/AIDS and others who faced discrimination and health-related challenges.
According to him, the organisation emerged from a decision taken in Congo-Brazzaville in 1989 to advocate for people affected by discrimination and health-related challenges, particularly during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis.
He said the Commission subsequently operated in Anglophone Africa, with Ghana becoming an important centre for its activities.
Prof. Delle recalled that the organisationxs interventions extended beyond advocacy to providing practical support to people fleeing persecution and torture, including journalists and other vulnerable persons.
He said his personal property was at one point made available to accommodate people seeking refuge, with the facility eventually hosting hundreds of people from Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and other parts of the world.
He further recalled partnerships that helped provide medical treatment and facilitate the relocation or return of some beneficiaries to countries including the United States, Canada, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia.
However, Prof. Delle said the Commissionxs activities subsequently slowed because of financial constraints.
He explained that the decision to revive the organisation was therefore driven by the need to restore a stronger institutional platform capable of responding to health and human rights challenges affecting vulnerable populations.
Prof. Delle said the renewed Commission should not merely focus on advocacy in the abstract but should develop the capacity to research health and human rights issues, educate the public, and contribute to practical solutions.
He emphasised the importance of ensuring that health services are accessible to people regardless of their economic circumstances, arguing that dignity should remain at the centre of healthcare and human rights interventions.
He also called for greater institutional attention to people who are often excluded from mainstream development and public policy discussions, particularly those living in difficult social and economic conditions.
The re-inauguration formed part of a broader effort to reposition the Commission for renewed operations in Ghana and across Africa.
The ceremony was formally declared inaugurated by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Kingsford Bagbin, who also launched the Commissionxs Endowment Fund and announced a personal contribution of GH¢100,000.
Five new members of the Commissionxs Board were also sworn into office during the ceremony.
They are Bishop Dr. Louis Christian Godson, Dr. Emmanuel Dei-Tumi, Apostle Kwabla, Dr. Daniel Asamoah, and Mrs. Patricia Afua Antwi Blekpe, with the Board led by Prof. Delle as Founder and Chairman.
The renewed Commission is expected to build on its historical work while strengthening its focus on research, health advocacy, human rights protection, public education, and support for vulnerable and marginalised populations across Ghana and Africa.