President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday co-chaired a high-level plenary session on economic innovation at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9), calling for urgent reforms to position Africa as a competitive investment destination.
The session, themed “Economy: Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa,” was jointly led by Mr. Mahama and former Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. It featured interventions from Kenyan President William Ruto, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, UN Under-Secretary-General Cristina Duarte, and Comoros President Azali Assoumani.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Mahama reflected on the shifting dynamics of global trade and power, noting that TICAD-9 is unfolding amid a rapidly evolving world order.
“The world’s largest economy, which should be the driver of global trade and investments, has become more insular and transactional in its relationship with the rest of the world,” he said.
He emphasized that Africa’s openness to global partnerships must be matched by internal readiness and reform.
“Africa is open for business. We wish to partner with any nation in the world on a win-win basis. But let’s not kid ourselves! Trade and investments will not come to Africa because we wish for it,” Mr. Mahama cautioned.
Calling for decisive action, he urged African leaders to undertake “the hard but necessary reforms” to make the continent more attractive to investors.
“That is why we must silence the guns and stop the fighting. That is why we must reform our economies and make them more stable and predictable. This is why we must reform our governance and make public service accountable and corruption-free,” he added.
TICAD-9 continues in Yokohama, spotlighting African development priorities and fostering strategic partnerships between Japan and the continent.
