Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama didn’t mince words in Yokohama. Speaking at TICAD-9, he told African leaders that no amount of “wishful thinking” would bring trade and investments to the continent unless they pursued urgent reforms.
The Ghanaian leader co-chaired the second plenary session alongside former Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, with heavyweights like Kenya’s William Ruto, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Togo’s Faure Gnassingbé, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, and UN Under-Secretary-General Cristina Duarte also at the table.
Mahama set the tone with a stark reminder: “Africa is open for business. But let’s not kid ourselves—capital won’t just flow here because we desire it.” His words echoed a larger reality—that the global economic landscape is shifting, with the U.S. retreating into a more transactional approach, and Africa needing to define its own competitive edge.
At the heart of his message was a challenge to African nations: do the hard work. Mahama called for reforms that silence conflicts, stabilize economies, and root out corruption. “We must reform our economies to make them predictable, reform our governance to make it accountable, and silence the guns to secure peace,” he urged.
For Mahama, the equation is clear—investors won’t come unless Africa proves it is serious about transparency, stability, and growth. And with Japan’s partnership through TICAD stretching back to 1993, he framed the moment as a turning point, one where Africa can shift from asking for aid to competing for global capital.
In his words and tone, Mahama wasn’t pleading—he was putting Africa on notice: the time to act is now.
