By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
Ghana on Thursday took its call for a fundamental rethinking of global governance to the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos (WEF) as President John Dramani Mahama warned that the post–Second World War multilateral system is under strain and no longer fit for today’s realities.
Addressing global political and business leaders when he took centre stage as host at a high-level side event in Davos alongside former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mahama said the world has reached a critical inflection point, with international cooperation weakening amid rising unilateralism and transactional diplomacy.
He noted that Africa, decades after liberation from colonial rule, has struggled with persistent conflict and multidimensional poverty, often relying on handouts and humanitarian assistance from developed nations.
Against this backdrop, Mahama said the continent must articulate and drive its own response to a rapidly changing global order. “Today, as I address you here in Davos, one thing is clear. Our world as we know it is at an inflexion point. The global multilateral governance system, universally agreed and accepted after the 2nd World War, is breaking down,” Mahama said. “Just months ago, at the UN General Assembly, I introduced the Accra Reset Initiative not as another declaration, not as a wish list but as a practical answer to a question millions of young Africans are asking: What should Africa’s response be in a changing global order?” he added.
Mahama said bilateral relations among nations are increasingly driven by narrow interests, with both state and non-state actors acting unilaterally. In response, the Accra Reset Initiative, launched at the United Nations General Assembly last year, seeks to reposition Africa as a co-creator of global solutions rather than a passive recipient of aid.
Highlighting progress at home, the Ghanaian leader said his administration has demonstrated that accountable leadership and focused governance can deliver results. In his first year back in office, he said, the government has cut spending and reduced the size of government to a record low of 58 ministers and deputy ministers, underscoring his belief that “execution beats excuses”.
According to Mahama, the Accra Reset is designed to build “the architecture for a new kind of cooperation,” where Global South countries co-design programmes with partners in the Global North and shape investment around their own priorities. He stressed that Africa’s future would not be handed down but earned through preparation, unity and organisation.
Heritage Times HT reports that the Accra Reset is gaining momentum as a rallying point for the continent’s ambitions.
