SONA 2026: Ghana will engage the world on terms that reflect our interests – Mahama

By Juliet ETEFE

President John Dramani Mahama has said Ghana will engage with the world on its own terms, insisting that national interests will guide all international partnerships.

Speaking in Parliament during his second State of the Nation Address, Mahama emphasised that while Ghana will uphold global norms, it will not outsource its judgments, signalling a firm stance on sovereignty and strategic leadership for both the country and the continent.

“We will continue to engage with the world, but on terms that reflect our interests. We will uphold global norms, but we will not outsource our judgments,” he told Parliament under Article 67 of the Constitution.

The President framed this posture as part of a broader strategic shift under two interlinked frameworks – the Resetting Ghana Agenda and the Accra Reset. While the former focuses on restoring economic stability, rebuilding public trust and strengthening domestic institutions, the latter projects Ghana’s vision onto the continental stage.

According to him, Ghana’s prosperity “cannot be separated from Africa’s progress,” arguing that the continent must move “from dependence to self-reliance, from fragmentation to integration, and from reactive postures to strategic leadership.”

He noted that the global order is undergoing profound change, warning that emerging economies must not respond with “fragmentation, hesitation or continued dependence.” Instead, he called for deliberate cooperation, strategic alignment and collective resilience.

“This era ahead demands that Africa must move from a posture of dependence to one of collective self-reliance,” he said.

Mahama highlighted Ghana’s convening role in advancing continental health sovereignty, referencing a landmark summit hosted in Accra last year which charted a new roadmap for healthcare financing and collaboration among African states.

He emphasised that: “Africa must take ownership of its health security, pool its resources, deepen collaboration, and design financing solutions that reflect our realities rather than external prescriptions. Strong economies require healthy populations, and health sovereignty is inseparable from economic sovereignty.

The same logic applies to trade, industry, and economic growth. Africa’s future lies in dismantling our artificial borders, removing bottlenecks that stifle commerce and fully activating a common market that allows our goods, services, capital, and ideas to move freely across the continent. No single African country, no matter how well endowed, can thrive alone in this new global environment.

Regional value chains to add value to what we produce, mobilising domestic capital to finance our own development, and speaking with a single, coordinated and confident voice in global affairs. This is how Africa can move from promise to power, from participation to leadership, and from dependence to self-reliance.

The path forward is clear. Africa must rise with confidence, unity, and purpose. And Ghana stands ready not only to rebuild at home but also to work hand-in-hand with our African brothers and sisters to shape a future that is defined by shared strength, dignity and prosperity.”

Beyond health and trade, he stressed that Ghana stands ready not only to rebuild at home but also to collaborate with African partners to shape a future anchored in shared strength, dignity, and resilience, both domestically and continentally.

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