By: Kenneth Appiah Bani
At a high-level side event during the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, President John Dramani Mahama delivered a clarion call for a continent-wide “reset,” stressing that Africa must take responsibility for charting its own path toward sustainable growth and development.
Speaking at the forum, the Ghanaian leader underscored the urgency for Africa to rethink its governance and resource allocation strategies in the wake of shifting global realities.
“Multilateralism is going out of date. It is coming to an end. And so you must add this to the responsibility,” President Mahama declared. “We are happy that we have the opportunity on the sidelines of the UN to further the conversations we started in Accra. I want to thank all of you who have found time to join us and contribute your ideas as we look forward to see what models we can adopt going forward.”
According to President Mahama, the weight of responsibility now rests squarely on Africa itself. He argued that the reset must start within individual countries, highlighting Ghana’s ongoing efforts as an example of innovative resource management.
“In Ghana, we have started a reset. And the reset focuses on the fact that we can rechannel resources into areas of priority,” he explained.
Mahama pointed to Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as a case study. He revealed that previous administrations had capped statutory funds, diverting excess revenues into the consolidated fund for general expenditures such as salaries, goods, and services.
“One of the first things we did, noticing the shortage of funding for health care, was to uncap the fund,” he said. “This resulted in additional revenue into the National Health Insurance Scheme of 3.5 billion Ghana cedis about $300 million. You can imagine what $300 million can do.”
The President noted that the injection of funds helped close critical financing gaps, including those previously supported by U.S. aid, ensuring that vital health programs continued without interruption.
“This is the kind of innovative thinking we need to do,” Mahama emphasized. “A lot depends on us as leaders to look at how we can move resources from non-priority areas into areas that bring tangible benefits for our people.”
Concluding his remarks, President Mahama called on African leaders to embrace bold and pragmatic reforms, insisting that only a decisive reset will enable the continent to thrive in a rapidly changing global order.
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