President John Dramani Mahama has addressed the 12th Africa Debates at the historic Guildhall in London, using one of Britain’s most storied venues to declare Ghana open for business and to make the case for a fundamental shift in how the world engages with Africa.
The address, delivered before an audience of global investors, business leaders, and policymakers, followed a Ghana Investment Forum held the at Ghana’s High Commission in London, making it part of a deliberate two-day investment push in the United Kingdom.
President Mahama told the gathering that Ghana had undergone a structural transformation in the 18 months since he took office in January 2025, turning around an economy that had been grappling with high inflation, a depreciated cedi, weakened investor confidence, and a painful debt restructuring process.
“In 18 months, we have implemented disciplined macroeconomic reforms that have restored fiscal confidence and stabilised the economy,” he said, adding that the recovery was not merely statistical but represented a repositioning of Ghana toward industrialisation, agro-processing, exports, logistics, digital transformation, and value addition.
He referenced the 24-Hour Economy initiative as a central pillar of this repositioning, clarifying that the policy was not simply about extending working hours but about reorganising the entire Ghanaian economy to maximise productivity across manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, digital services, tourism, and the creative economy.
The President also outlined Ghana’s Big Push infrastructure programme as a vehicle creating investment opportunities across roads, rail, energy, housing, water systems, and logistics infrastructure.
He said the government was strengthening transparency, modernising infrastructure, and building a more predictable investment environment to give both domestic and international investors the confidence to commit.
For investors, President Mahama said Ghana offered political stability, democratic continuity, strategic access to the West African sub-region, and a government committed to reform and private sector growth.
“Ghana is open for business. But beyond that, Ghana is ready for strategic partnerships that are anchored in long-term value creation,” he said.
The President said the theme of the forum, ‘Redefining Partnerships, Navigating a World in Transition,’ demanded more than discussion.
“It demanded a new framework for engagement between Africa and the world, one built not on aid and dependency but on mutual respect, shared prosperity, and genuine partnership,” he explained.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
