Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and French President Emmanuel Macron held in-depth bilateral discussions on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at the Élysée Palace in Paris, on the sidelines of the 2025 Paris Peace Forum. The talks focused on enhancing security cooperation, economic development, and regional stability.
The meeting began with President Macron offering condolences over the recent passing of Ghana’s former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and highlighted the importance of the Paris Peace Initiative.
A key priority for President Mahama was seeking France’s assistance in combating piracy in Ghana’s territorial waters. He requested support to protect the country’s maritime integrity against increasing threats in the Gulf of Guinea.
Discussions also included a proposed French concessionary loan for Ghana’s health sector, pending parliamentary approval. President Mahama urged Macron to leverage his influence with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to facilitate Ghana’s access to the loan through the French Development Bank, citing Ghana’s improved debt-to-GDP ratio.
As the African Union (AU) Champion of African Financial Institutions, Mahama advocated for joint efforts to renegotiate loan agreements at more favorable interest rates to support infrastructure development across Africa. He also highlighted Ghana’s role as host of the AfCFTA Secretariat, stressing the need for improved road networks to boost intra-African trade.
On education and digital innovation, President Mahama updated Macron on Ghana’s One Million Coders Programme, which has already registered over 200,000 students. He requested French assistance in training more French language teachers to strengthen Ghanaian language education.
President Macron responded with opportunities for collaboration, including participation in the VivaTech Summit in Nairobi (May 2026) to showcase Ghana’s digital solutions, the AU–EU Summit in Angola, and the June 2026 G7 Summit, where France plans to advocate for increased international support for Ghana.
The two leaders also discussed reparations for slavery, with Macron noting France’s legal stance against slavery while emphasizing that multiple parties beyond Western nations were involved.
Security in the Sahel region was another point of discussion, particularly ongoing terrorist activities in Mali and other Alliance of Sahel States member countries. Macron praised Mahama’s leadership in the subregion and Ghana’s economic reforms, pledging continued French support for the country’s development agenda.
