By: Celestine Avi and Seth Eyiah
President John Dramani Mahama has called for a decisive shift from aid dependency to investment-led growth as the surest path to Africa’s long-term economic transformation.
Speaking at the launch of the Global Africa Investment Summit in Dubai on Tuesday, President Mahama said Africa must take control of how global capital engages with the continent, insisting that future partnerships must be built on economic sovereignty, value creation, and mutual prosperity.
According to him, the changing global landscape, marked by geopolitical fragmentation, supply chain realignments, declining traditional aid, and intense competition for capital, demands a new development model for Africa.
“Africa cannot afford to be a passive participant in this new global era. We must shape how the world engages with us, and on our own terms,” he stated.
From Aid to Investment: The Accra Reset
President Mahama linked the summit to what he described as the “Accra Reset, a strategic call for Africa” to transition from aid dependence to investment-driven growth.
He noted that moving from aid to investment is no longer optional but essential for sustainable development, stressing that Africa possesses vast sovereign assets that can be structured into credible and bankable investment platforms.
The Global Africa Investment Summit, he explained, is designed to convert Africa’s assets into investable portfolios with clear revenue streams, long-term returns, and strong governance frameworks that appeal to institutional investors seeking stability, scale, and predictability.
Ghana’s Resource-Led Investment Strategy
Highlighting Ghana’s experience, President Mahama said the country’s natural resources form the backbone of a strong investment proposition.
Gold, Ghana’s largest asset, positions the country as Africa’s leading producer and among the top ten globally, with annual production exceeding five million ounces. With improved asset structuring, he said gold alone can generate several billion dollars annually to support infrastructure development and industrialisation.
The President disclosed that preliminary reforms in the gold export sector have already yielded results, with gold volumes from the small-scale mining sector increasing from 63 tonnes in 2024 to 104 tonnes within ten months, generating about US$10 billion in revenue over the same period.
Ghana is also the world’s fourth-largest producer of manganese, a critical mineral for steel production and electric vehicle batteries, while its bauxite reserves position the country to play a strategic role in global aluminium value chains.
Value Addition Over Raw Exports
President Mahama reiterated Ghana’s determination to move beyond raw material exports, announcing that the country has banned the export of raw mineral ore as part of efforts to promote value addition and manufacturing.
He invited global investors to partner with Ghana not only in extraction, but in processing and value creation, noting that such partnerships will create jobs, transfer skills, boost foreign exchange earnings, and strengthen Africa’s strategic position in critical mineral supply chains.
A Platform for Scalable Investment
According to President Mahama, global capital no longer pursues isolated projects but structured investment platforms.
He described the Global Africa Investment Summit as a game-changer that provides scalable opportunities across minerals, energy, infrastructure, trade, and logistics, enabling Africa’s assets to “speak the language of global capital.”
He added that asset-driven growth will allow African economies to attract long-term capital without unsustainable increases in public debt, while anchoring development in productivity, ownership, and resilience.
Backing Africa’s Investment Future
President Mahama commended former African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and Madame Marguerite Krauss for their leadership in establishing the summit, praising Dr. Adesina’s post-AfDB commitment to advancing Africa’s development agenda.
As a strong advocate of the African Union and African financial institutions, President Mahama expressed confidence that the summit will provide a transparent and collaborative platform for engaging global investors, combining political leadership with professional asset restructuring.
The President reaffirmed Ghana’s full support for the initiative, urging stakeholders to work together to mobilise global capital and unlock Africa’s vast economic potential.
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Source:
www.gbcghanaonline.com