John Mahama “Resets” relationship with Gabby Otchere-Darko

…Graces his investment programme under AfCFTA
President John Dramani Mahama, last Saturday, made a surprising appearance at an international event organised by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, the once-powerful cousin of former President Nana Akufo-Addo and one of Mahama’s fiercest political opponents, where he emphasized that African leaders, could unlock a US$3.4 trillion market with critical infrastructure investments.
Speaking on the third day of the African Prosperity Dialogues, under the theme, “Delivering Africa’s Single Market Through Infrastructure: Invest, Connect, and Integrate,” Mahama underlined the crucial role infrastructure plays in creating jobs and opportunities for young people across the continent.
The African Prosperity Dialogues, is an investment talk-shop platform owned by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, nicknamed the “Prime Minister” of the Akufo-Addo administration.
It operates through the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) in partnership with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Previous events were attended by then-President Akufo-Addo, who even allowed the use of the Peduase Presidential Villa for past editions.
Mahama’s participation, marked a notable shift from the confrontational approach taken by President Nana Akufo-Addo and his cousin Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, by targeting businesses linked to perceived political opponents in the last eight years, including the closure of Alhaji Seidu Agongo’s Heritage Bank by Bank of Ghana (BoG), the shutting down of Ahwois’ Radio Gold, using the National Communications Authority (NCA).
Particularly contentious, was the revocation of a lease granted to businessman and philanthropist, Ibrahim Mahama and his company, Exton Cubic Ghana Limited, for bauxite mining at Nyinahin in the Ashanti Region.
The lease was revoked by then-Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, and later reassigned to Rocksure International, a Ghanaian company, through the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC).
Mr Amewu, had claimed that Ibrahim Mahama’s company, failed to meet the legal requirements and, therefore, its lease was not valid, amid accusations President Mahama, had dashed the bauxite concession owned by the state to his younger brother, Ibrahim, days before leaving office as President. Interestingly, Rocksure International, has yet to make anything meaningful of the concession.
At the African Prosperity Dialogues event, President Mahama, underscored the need to develop efficient road and rail networks to facilitate intra-African trade.
“We must invest in infrastructure to facilitate trade, efficient road networks, ports, and digital connectivity. We must strengthen African supply chains to ensure that our industries produce goods and services that meet both regional and global standards,” he said.
The President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Dr Sidi Ould Tah, praised Ghana’s 24-hour economy initiative and reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting the vision.
“Ghana’s 24-hour vision is an inspiration to the entire continent, showing that with bold leadership, innovation, and investment, we can unlock Africa’s full economic potential. At BADEA, we are committed to being a strategic partner,” he said.
TheMahama government participated fully in theAfrica Prosperity Dialogue (APD) which took place from Thursday, 30 January to Saturday, 1 February 2025, with President Mahama, emphasizing the importance of dialogue initiatives such as the Africa Prosperity Dialogue (APD) in addressing low trade levels among African countries.
Ahead of the 2025 edition of the event, the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) confirmed that over 3,000 delegates from more than 46 countries worldwide will converge at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) for the 2025 edition of the African Prosperity Dialogues (APD).
The dialogues aim to galvanise public and private-sector stakeholders to accelerate infrastructure investments and integration, critical to realising Africa’s vision of a single, interconnected continental market.
Mr Mahama, engaged in talks with Comoros President, Azali Assoumani, for potential areas of cooperation, including infrastructure development, trade and visa-free policies at ameeting, which took place at the Jubilee House in Accra on Friday, during a state visit by President Assoumani, marking an important diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
“Africa is a growing continent with great potential but there are low trade levels among our countries so believe that dialogue initiatives like the APD help us to address that,” President Mahama said.
President Mahama, highlighted Ghana’s commitment to visa-free policies, allowing Africans to move freely on the continent.
“Many countries are adopting visa-free policies to make it easy for access and in Ghana, we believe that African people should be able to move freely among the continent and that is why we have introduced visa-free to most African countries,” President Mahama said.
He congratulated President Mahama on his election and praised Ghana’s stability and peaceful transfer of power.
President Assoumani, shared his vision for Comoros, emphasising the need for infrastructure development, particularly in sea and air transport.
“Africans have had all manner of interactions among ourselves, but today the best vehicle to help us achieve our potential is through trade and the AfCFTA. We believe that it’s a good vehicle to circulate goods and service among us in Africa before going to the rest of the world,” he said.
He also proposed that Comoros’ Ambassador in Senegal oversaw Ghana, promoting closer ties between the two nations.
“It’s time for us to act and not just speak so I propose that this my ambassador here, who is our ambassador in Senegal, will have oversight over Ghana. We were thinking of crediting the ambassador in Addis Ababa. But this man can walk across into Ghana so we thought of accrediting him rather,” he said.
Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang who addressed the opening session noted that Africa’s economic future, hinges on deeper regional integration, as it remains the key to unlocking sustainable growth and shared prosperity.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang, opined that the success of the AfCFTA, depends on seamless connectivity, infrastructure development and policy alignment among member states.
She urged African leaders to prioritise investments that will break trade barriers, foster industrialisation and create a unified market capable of competing on a global scale.
”Africa’s fragmented market is a significant barrier to our economic potential. While our continent boasts of a population of 1.4 billion people, and a combined GDP of more than 3.4 trillion a significant part of the potential remains unfulfilled and will continue to do so if our markets remain divided. Integration is not just a theoretical concept it is a lifeline to our collective future,” she said.
She added that: “By breaking down barriers and creating a single market. We can unlock immense opportunities, create jobs for our youth and we can also by so doing, lift millions out of poverty.”
Chairperson of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, also called on African leaders to maximize the benefits of AfCFTA to spur economic growth and create a more competitive single market.
“The African Continental Free Trade Area is not an abstract policy framework. It is a generational mandate to unite our economies to facilitate trade, unlocking prosperity for all Africans. It is the key that will free us from the economic chains that have for too long ensured that Africa remains underdeveloped, “she added.
In his welcome address, Sidig Faroug Eltoum, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) Secretariat, emphasised the event’s magnitude. “This year’s dialogues will be unprecedented in scope, with participation from diverse global players and leadership.
Having over 3,000 delegates and seven Heads of State join us in Accra, highlights the immense interest in advancing Africa’s economic prospects through strategic infrastructure investments,” he stated.
Mr ElToum, extended gratitude to APN partners for their role in the success of the APD. “We thank the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat for walking with us on this journey toward prosperity.
We treasure the partnerships we have established with numerous actors. We also deeply appreciate the Ghanaian people for their warm hospitality, which has been instrumental in hosting this event successfully,” he stated.
Lauding the media’s pivotal role in advancing the goals of the African Prosperity Dialogues (APD), Mr Eltoum said: “We treasure and value our partnership with the media, and we sincerely thank them for their contributions [which] have materialised into a clearer and more influential role in shaping the dialogue itself, and we look forward to strengthening this collaboration”
Chief of Staff at AfCFTA Secretariat, Rui Pedro Afonso Livramento, underscored the critical role of infrastructure in achieving the vision of a fully integrated African single market. He reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to fostering collaborations to address infrastructure deficits that continue to impede intra-African trade.
“The AfCFTA has made significant strides since its inception, including establishing a solid institutional framework and recording growth in trade under the Guided Trade Initiative,” he said. “However, infrastructure remains a critical bottleneck. Inefficient transport and logistics add 30 to 40 per cent to intra-African trade costs, particularly affecting small and medium enterprises (SMEs).”
Mr Livramento, highlighted that to address these challenges, the AfCFTA Secretariat has championed the establishment of trade aggregators to integrate SMEs into continental value chains. He commended countries such as China, Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa for leading efforts in this regard. He called for stronger partnerships among governments, private-sector actors, and development partners to create an enabling environment for infrastructure development.
He said the theme aims to underscore the importance of infrastructure development in realising the continent’s ambitious economic goals.
“This theme emphasises the crucial role of infrastructure in enabling the free movement of products, services, and investments across borders,” Mr Livramento said. “Infrastructure modernisation, enhanced connectivity, and digital innovation will be fundamental to unlocking the transformative potential of the AfCFTA.”