Mahama Calls for Urgent Action on African Economic Sovereignty at AU Side Event

President John Dramani Mahama used his closing remarks at the Accra Reset side event in Addis Ababa to deliver a sweeping call for African economic sovereignty, urging the continent's leaders to move beyond declarations and begin implementing long-discussed frameworks on trade, minerals, finance and connectivity.

The high-level gathering, titled "Accra Reset's Addis Reckoning," was held on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Assembly of Heads of State, bringing together government officials, private sector leaders, international partners and civil society actors to chart an action-oriented path toward African prosperity.

"We come with the decisions. We agree. We do the frameworks. What is missing is urgency and implementation," President Mahama said. "We behave like time is waiting for us."

DRC at the Core of Resource Sovereignty Debate

A central theme of Mahama's address was Africa's struggle to convert natural resource wealth into shared prosperity, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) highlighted as a defining example.

"DRC is at the epicentre of the resource curse," he said, arguing that any conversation on African mineral sovereignty must place Congo at its core.

Mahama cited the intervention of DR Congo's Minister for Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, who called for certification systems to distinguish minerals extracted for national development from those fueling armed conflict.

"When he talks about the certification of their minerals… to know what minerals are extracted generally in the interest of the people of DRC and those that are extracted due to the wars, then I guess he makes a very good point," Mahama noted.

Global Complicity in Conflict Minerals

Mahama also issued a blunt critique of international demand for strategic minerals, arguing that global technology supply chains have long been tied to Congo's suffering.

"The world has closed its eyes to the carnage in the DRC because it needs the coltan, the tantalum… to power the digital devices and systems we have," he said.

His remarks reinforced the Accra Reset's push for conflict-free mineral governance and greater African control over extraction, certification and value chains.

Pan-African Payments: Ending Dependence on Third-Party Currencies

Another recurring proposal in Mahama's speech was the urgent need for intra-African payment systems that eliminate reliance on external currencies — a point he attributed to AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene.

Mahama questioned why African SMEs must still trade through foreign exchange intermediaries even within the continent.

"Why… must I convert my local currency into a third-party currency, then exchange it again to pay my colleague SME in Kenya?" he asked.

He described the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) as overdue.

"I should be able to ship my goods to Kenya and get paid in Cedis rather than a foreign currency. That's something we need to work on," he said.

The call aligns with the Accra Reset vision of building African financial architecture that supports continental trade and reduces structural dependency.

Connectivity Is Improving — Logistics Will Follow Trade

While acknowledging historical challenges in moving goods and people across Africa, Mahama offered optimism about emerging connectivity driven by private sector initiatives.

He praised:

• ASKY Airlines for linking West African cities

• Ethiopian Airlines for serving nearly every African country

He also highlighted expanding maritime logistics, including reefer vessels redistributing cargo along the West Coast from Dakar to Douala, and a proposed ferry service to transport trucks and cargo between ports from Accra to Lagos to Monrovia.

"Once supply and demand are in place, the logistics will follow," he observed.

Africa's Prosperity as a Global Positive

Mahama framed the Accra Reset not as a confrontational project but as one of mutual benefit, citing a UK representative's remarks that African prosperity strengthens global prosperity.

"When Africa prospers, Europe prospers," Mahama said. "Africa's prosperity is not a threat to anybody… it will consolidate world prosperity."

He also expressed appreciation for Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, whose intervention he described as evoking the Pan-Africanist spirit of Kwame Nkrumah.

"From Addis, We Must Stop Talking and Start Implementing"

Throughout his closing remarks, Mahama returned repeatedly to the implementation gap — the distance between Africa's ambitious continental frameworks and real-world execution.

"We take time. And we behave like time is waiting for us," he warned.

He concluded with a direct call to African leadership:

"This is the Addis reckoning. From Addis, we must stop talking and start implementing."

The Accra Reset's Addis gathering positioned itself as a catalyst for turning African economic sovereignty — in minerals, payments, logistics and trade — from aspiration into action.