Former President John Dramani Mahama has made a passionate appeal for the international community to prioritise saving children’s lives over funding military hardware, citing the critical mission of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
In his speech at the Global Health & Prosperity through Immunisation Summit held in Brussels, President Mahama highlighted Gavi’s ambitious target to raise $9 billion to immunise 500 million children worldwide between 2026 and 2030. He drew a stark comparison between this life-saving goal and recent military expenditures, underscoring what he called a moral choice facing world leaders.
“These children’s lives will be saved so they can grow up to become tomorrow’s scientists, engineers, nurses, teachers, and doctors,” Mahama noted.
Mr. Mahama pointed out that a single U.S. B-2 Spirit bomber, like those used in recent operations in Iran, costs $2.13 billion—meaning the global community spends the equivalent of nearly half of Gavi’s replenishment target on just two such aircraft.
“If you work the math, Gavi seeks the value of four of those B-2 bombers. Surely, the world can invest the equivalent cost of four B-2 bombers to save 500 million children,” he wrote.
Mahama emphasised that humanity faces a clear decision: “It’s a choice we have to make between taking lives and saving lives, and I am sure we will save lives instead of taking them.”
His remarks come as global leaders and donors prepare for the next replenishment conference for Gavi, which has been instrumental in expanding access to vaccines against deadly diseases such as measles, pneumonia, and polio in low-income countries.
The post has drawn praise from health advocates and development partners who say Mahama’s comparison powerfully illustrates the opportunity costs of global military spending relative to public health investments.
