President John Dramani Mahama has called for faster implementation of African economic integration policies, including conflict-free mineral certification and a continent-wide payments system, as he sought to position the Accra Reset initiative as a practical blueprint for “economic sovereignty.”
Mahama made the remarks in Addis Ababa during the closing session of the Accra Reset side event held on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Assembly of Heads of State. The meeting, titled “Accra Reset’s Addis Reckoning,” brought together government officials, private sector leaders, international partners and civil society representatives.
“We come with the decisions. We agree. We do the frameworks. What is missing is urgency and implementation,” Mahama said. “We take time. And we behave like time is waiting for us.”
Conflict minerals and the DRC
Mahama said the Democratic Republic of Congo sits at the center of Africa’s resource sovereignty debate, backing calls by Congo’s Minister for Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, for certification systems to distinguish between minerals extracted for public benefit and those tied to armed conflict.
“DRC is at the epicentre of the resource curse,” Mahama said, adding that global demand for minerals used in digital devices has contributed to international indifference toward violence in the country.
“The world has closed its eyes to the carnage in the DRC because it needs the coltan, the tantalum,” he said.
Payments system to reduce currency dependence
A central focus of Mahama’s remarks was the need to expand intra-African payment infrastructure that allows businesses to trade without relying on third-party currencies.
He cited the intervention of AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene, describing the cost and inefficiency of African small businesses being forced to convert local currencies into dollars or euros to settle trade between African markets.
“The Pan-African payment and settlement system is a thing whose time has come, and with urgency,” Mahama said, arguing that exporters should be able to receive payment in their domestic currency, including Ghana’s cedi.
Logistics and connectivity improving
President Mahama also pointed to signs of improving continental connectivity, crediting private airlines and emerging maritime services for reducing barriers that have long hindered intra-African commerce.
He highlighted ASKY Airlines’ West African network and Ethiopian Airlines’ broad continental coverage. He also referenced new reefer vessel routes redistributing cargo along the West African coast, from Dakar to Douala, and a proposed ferry service to transport trucks and cargo between ports including Accra, Lagos and Monrovia.
“Once supply and demand are in place, the logistics will follow,” he said.
A non-confrontational pitch to partners
He further framed African prosperity as aligned with global economic interests, echoing remarks he attributed to a UK representative who said Europe benefits when Africa grows.
“Africa’s prosperity is not a threat to anybody in this world,” he said. “Africa’s prosperity will consolidate world prosperity.”
He also praised Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty for what he described as a Pan-Africanist intervention, saying it reminded him of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.
Mahama closed by urging African leaders and stakeholders to move from discussion to execution.
“From Addis, we must stop talking and start implementing,” he said.
