{"id":117107,"date":"2026-02-27T11:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=117107"},"modified":"2026-02-27T11:56:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:56:16","slug":"africa-must-move-from-dependence-to-self-reliance-mahama-calls-for-continental-renewal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=117107","title":{"rendered":"Africa must move from dependence to self-reliance \u2014 Mahama calls for continental renewal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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President John Dramani Mahama has urged Africa to chart a new path of collective self-reliance amid a global order that increasingly favours established powers at the expense of emerging nations.<\/p>\n

Addressing the nation on 27 February 2026, President Mahama said Ghana\u2019s national renewal comes at a time when the international system is rapidly shifting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis moment of national renewal unfolds against the backdrop of a world in profound flux. The global order we once knew is being rapidly reshaped, and the so-called rule-based international system endures only as long as it protects the advantages of those who designed it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He warned that when emerging nations attempt to operate within these same rules to rebalance power, the commitment of the system\u2019s architects often wavers.<\/p>\n

\u201cGhana, like many nations, has learned this hard truth. We cannot respond to this new reality with fragmentation, hesitation, or continual dependence,\u201d the President stressed.<\/p>\n

Building Resilience Through Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mahama noted that history shows resilience and prosperity are never handed down but must be built deliberately through self-belief, cooperation, and strategic alignment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis era demands that Africa move from a posture of dependence to one of collective self-reliance,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

He highlighted Ghana\u2019s efforts to lead by example. In mid-2025, Accra hosted a landmark Health Sovereignty Summit, bringing together African leaders, policymakers, and development partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfrica must take ownership of its health security, pool resources, deepen collaboration, and design financing solutions that reflect our realities rather than external prescriptions,\u201d he said, linking health sovereignty directly to economic sovereignty.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrong economies require healthy populations, and health sovereignty is inseparable from economic sovereignty,\u201d Mahama added.<\/p>\n

Strengthening Trade and Regional Integration<\/strong><\/p>\n

The President extended the principle to trade, industry, and economic growth, calling for the removal of barriers that hinder intra-African commerce.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfrica\u2019s future lies in dismantling artificial borders, removing bottlenecks that stifle commerce, and fully activating a common market that allows goods, services, capital, and ideas to move freely across the continent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He emphasised that no African nation can thrive alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we work together, our combined markets, youthful populations, natural resources, and creativity will constitute one of the greatest economic opportunities of this century,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

From Promise to Power<\/strong><\/p>\n

President Mahama urged the continent and the broader Global South to pursue disciplined strategies focusing on youth empowerment, regional value addition, and domestic resource mobilisation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Global South requires a deliberate and disciplined plan \u2014 unlocking the immense human and creative potential of our young people, strengthening regional value chains, mobilising domestic capital, and speaking with a single, coordinated, and confident voice in global affairs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He concluded with a rallying call for Africa to take control of its destiny:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is how Africa can move from promise to power, from participation to leadership, and from dependence to self-reliance \u2014 the path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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President John Dramani Mahama has declared that Africa must chart a new path of collective self-reliance as the global order undergoes profound changes that no longer guarantee fairness for emerging nations.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1972,17600,1883,117,10,9,17601],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-africa","category-dependence","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular","category-self-reliance"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117107\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}