President John Mahama has urged advanced nations in the global north to support the Accra Reset Initiative.
The President made the statement while formally unveiling the Accra Reset Initiative at the Davos Commitment, held on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“Friends, we didn’t come here to ask for charity. We came to propose a global partnership of the willing, based on a shared vision and mutual respect,” he said.
“The Accra Reset is building the architecture for a new kind of cooperation, one where Global South countries don’t just receive programmes but co-design them with our partners in the global north. Where we don’t just attract investment but shape it around our priorities. We want to create Prosperity Spheres across regional platforms where countries coordinate on investment, infrastructure, and jobs.”
Speaking about the legacy he wished to leave behind, the President stated that he wanted to leave a continent where young people had chances at home and would not risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean.
“We want to leave systems that work, industries that thrive, and nations that stand tall. Ghana can’t do it alone. Africa can’t do it alone,” he said.
“This is a call to every leader in this room. If you believe in a world where prosperity is shared, not just based on narrow interests, join us.”
“If you believe the Global South deserves partnership, not pity, join us.”
“If you believe the next chapter of human progress will be written in Accra, Nairobi, Kigali, Abuja, and Cairo, join us.”
He stated that the Accra Reset was not requesting permission, and that they were gaining momentum.
President Mahama remembered that 20 years ago, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and numerous courageous international leaders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, made a simple but strong case: HIV/AIDS was killing millions in Africa, and a worldwide reaction was required.
He stated that this fortitude inspired the creation of the Global Fund, which has saved millions of lives in Africa and around the world.
He stated that the war was successful because leaders agreed to act jointly, urgently, and without excuses, noting, “Today, I am not so sure.”
He claimed that the United States was reducing funds for the United Nations system and other global institutions that had saved millions of lives.
“We face an unpredictable world. This is why Africa must be responsible for its destiny. Today, we face a different pandemic: the pandemic of unfulfilled potential,” he stated.
Citing the fact that millions of young people were unemployed, health-care systems crumbled during the first crisis, and economies drained resources but produced nothing long-term.
“If we could mobilise the world to fight a disease, why can’t we mobilise to fight poverty? To fight dependency? To fight the systems that keep brilliant young Africans locked out of the future.”
The President stated that in Ghana, they were demonstrating a crucial point: action trumps excuses.
“We’re cutting government spending and have reduced the size of government to a record low: 58 ministers and deputy ministers,” he said.
“We’re digitising services to end corruption. We’re training young people for tomorrow’s jobs, not yesterday.”
“We have renegotiated our debt so we can invest in our people, not just service loans. This is the “Resetting Ghana” agenda.”
Former Nigerian President Olusengun Obasanjo, who leads the Accra Initiative’s Guardian Circle, stated that the Accra Initiative will be integrated into the North-South Dialogue in order to negotiate critical reforms and concrete projects to improve access to health facilities and technology with their northern friends and development partners.
He stated, “The future will not be given to the unprepared. It will be negotiated. It will be built. And it will belong to those who prepare, unite, and organise for it.”
Source: newsthemegh.com