On September 21, 2026, President John Mahama of Ghana delivered a statement at a High-level side event on the Accra Reset: Global Reset Dialogue at the 81st United National General Assembly in New York. The Accra Reset initiative aims to address the challenges faced by the Global South, including geostrategic marginalization, geopolitical vulnerability, and donor dependence. President Mahama stressed that the initiative seeks to connect political authority, productive capability, and financial resilience.
President Mahama highlighted that Ghana's domestic agenda, which focuses on economic self-reliance, local value addition, robust public health infrastructure, transparent governance, and the 24-Hour Economy initiative, aligns with the objectives of the Accra Reset. He emphasized that industrialization efforts under the Reset agenda require access to at least the African regional market to sell products. The President also noted that building local industrial capacity, encouraging domestic pharmaceutical companies to manufacture essential medicines, and guaranteeing state purchasing and regional market access are crucial.
The Accra Reset initiative was launched in 2025, and over the past year, Ghana has established the Presidential Council, constituted the Guardians' Circle, and formed the High-Level Panel on Reform of the Global Health Architecture and Governance. The High-Level Panel, co-chaired by Peter Piot, Elhadj As Sy, Priscila Ferraz Soares, and Budi Gunadi Sadikin, has delivered a report with recommendations for reforming the global health architecture and governance.
President Mahama acknowledged the support of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Laura Chinchilla, who welcomed Ghana on behalf of the Guardians' Circle. He expressed gratitude to the Panel members for fulfilling their mandate and noted that their report begins with an undeniable historical truth: in 1955, twenty-nine nations gathered in Bandung demanding a seat at the world's table, but the levers of global trade, finance, and health governance remained firmly anchored elsewhere.
The President emphasized that the Accra Reset agenda will not succeed without the support of the global community. He stated that a national reset without a global reset leaves nations building on shifting sand, and a global reset without domestic discipline is unfeasible. President Mahama also stressed that sovereignty does not magically appear because a country signed a donor agreement, but rather through uncompromising domestic accountability.
President Mahama's statement reflects Ghana's commitment to achieving economic self-reliance and promoting a more equitable global order. The Accra Reset initiative has garnered attention from nations in the Global South, who face similar challenges. By emphasizing the need for control and accountability, President Mahama's address resonated with the audience at the UNGA.
The Accra Reset initiative represents a significant shift in the approach to development cooperation, with a focus on ownership and control. As President Mahama noted, there can be No Ownership Without Control. The initiative's success will depend on the support of the global community and the commitment of nations to domestic accountability and reform.
Key points
- President Mahama emphasized the need for global support for the Accra Reset agenda.
- The Accra Reset initiative aims to address the challenges faced by the Global South, including geostrategic marginalization, geopolitical vulnerability, and donor dependence.
- President Mahama stressed that industrialization efforts under the Reset agenda require access to at least the African regional market to sell products.
