President John Dramani Mahama has issued a clarion call to African nations to abandon their long-standing dependence on trade and embrace industrialization, entrepreneurship, and digital innovation as the new pillars of economic transformation.
Speaking at the 2025 Kwahu Business Forum on Friday, April 19, President Mahama argued that Africa can no longer afford to be a passive observer of global economic shifts. Instead, he said, the continent must strategically position itself to benefit from the disruption of traditional trade dynamics, especially those caused by rising tensions among global superpowers.
“The world is changing, and we must change with it,” Mahama told a packed audience of entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers. “The shifting dynamics in global production and trade have created new openings for Africa to reassert itself—not as a bystander, but as a driver of value.”
He lamented that the continent has often been left behind during major global transitions, including the Cold War and the era of globalization. But Mahama stressed that Africa now has a second chance to capitalize on growing trade disputes and supply chain realignments, particularly between dominant economies.
“The global economic order is being reshaped. Africa must not miss this opportunity,” he said. “We must stop seeing ourselves merely as traders. We must start thinking as producers, manufacturers, and innovators.”
President Mahama emphasized that Africa’s strength lies in its youthful population, agricultural potential, and growing digital ecosystem, all of which can be harnessed for sustained economic independence.
He urged African leaders to invest in agro-processing, tech-based businesses, and value-added manufacturing, while also strengthening intra-African trade frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Kwahu Business Forum serves as a platform for exploring bold solutions to Ghana and Africa’s development challenges. This year’s theme focused on leveraging global disruption for local opportunity, reflecting the President’s call for Africa to chart a new path in a shifting world economy.
