By Shine Esi Kwawukumey
Accra. Feb. 28, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama yesterday cast Ghana’s recovery as inseparable from Africa’s self-reliance, using his State of the Nation Address to push a bold continental sovereignty agenda.
Such bold pan africanist declaration was first made by Ghana’s founder, Dr Kwame Nkrumah at the nation’s birth.
He said Ghana’s independence was linked to the total liberation of the African continent, which was under colonial rule and exploitation.
Sixty nine years later, a man born a year later, told Ghana’s Parliament that while economic stabilisation at home was gaining ground, the broader mission was to reposition Ghana within a confident, coordinated Africa capable of shaping its own destiny in a rapidly shifting global order.
“Ghana is back. Ghana is working again and is open for business,” he declared, but quickly added that national resurgence must feed into what he termed the Accra Reset, a framework aimed at moving Africa “from dependence to self-reliance.”
Describing the global system as increasingly unstable and selective in its application of rules, he argued that African countries could no longer afford fragmentation or hesitation in the face of geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
“No single African country, no matter how well-endowed, can thrive alone in this new global environment,” he said, urging deeper regional trade, coordinated financial strategies and the unlocking of youth potential across the continent.
He linked that continental vision to Ghana’s domestic Resetting Ghana Agenda, citing 6.1 per cent average GDP growth in 2025, a narrowed fiscal deficit of 3.1 per cent and inflation reduced to 3.8 per cent as evidence that credibility was being restored at home.
President Mahama maintained that the gains were the result of firm choices, stressing that his administration had selected “discipline over waste, reform over excuses, and stability over speculation” to rebuild confidence and stabilise the cedi.
He further highlighted Ghana’s active diplomatic posture, including advocacy for reform of global governance systems and stronger African representation in international financial institutions, positioning the country as a convening force on the continent.
Ending with a metaphor that tied domestic renewal to continental ambition, President Mahama said, “Our nation is on the runway. It is in take-off mode, and you are all advised to fasten your seatbelts,” signalling that Ghana’s ascent, in his view, must now extend beyond its borders.
He defined the new task for his generation, which is economic assertiveness for Africa after years of struggle for political self rule by the generation before him.
GNA
28 Feb. 2026
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong
