Africa-Press – Ghana. Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has addressed the Zambia National Assembly, reaffirming the strong historical ties between the two nations.
These historical ties, President said dated back to the era of their founding fathers – President Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and President Dr Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.
President Mahama with his wife, First Lady Lordina Mahama are on a three-day state visit to Zambia at the invitation of counterpart President Hakainde Hichilema.
“I am deeply honoured to address this august House and to convey warm fraternal greetings from the Government and people of the Republic of Ghana,” President Mahama said when addressing the Zambian Parliament in Lusaka.
He expressed profound appreciation for the gracious hospitality extended to him and his delegation since their arrival in the beautiful city of Lusaka.
“This visit reaffirms the enduring bonds of friendship and solidarity between Ghana and Zambia bonds forged during the historic struggle for Africa’s political emancipation under the visionary leadership of our founding fathers, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Kenneth David Kaunda,” President Mahama said.
“Their shared Pan-African conviction, sacrifice, and courage laid the foundations on which our two nations, and indeed our continent, continue to build,” he added.
President Mahama said Ghana’s historic support for Zambia’s liberation struggle was well documented, and generations of Zambian freedom fighters were shaped by Pan-African ideals fostered at institutions such as the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute in Winneba.
“Today, our friendship remains grounded in mutual respect, shared democratic values, and a common aspiration for peace, development, and African dignity,” he said.
“The responsibility of our generation is clear: to translate historic solidarity and political goodwill into conc
“Our forebears won us independence and nationhood. Now, we must win the fight for economic transformation and prosperity for our people.”
President Mahama said they must confront the battle for the economic emancipation of their countries at a time when global geopolitics was undergoing tectonic shifts.
He noted that today, global humanitarian assistance is shrinking. Official development assistance was declining, defence spending was rising, and traditional multilateral systems were under strain.
He reiterated that Africa, therefore, faced a different pandemic, the pandemic of unfulfilled potential.
He said millions of young people remained unemployed; health systems were fragile; and economies extract wealth without building capacity.
He emphasised that Africa must confront this changing reality with transparency and pragmatism.
“Only days ago, I had the opportunity to address global leaders in Davos, where I spoke about the Accra Reset Initiative and the urgent need for Africa to redefine its development trajectory,” he said.
President Mahama said too many African countries remained trapped in what he described as triple dependency.
These, he said, included dependency on external actors for security choices, dependency on donors for health and education systems; and dependency on suppliers of critical minerals while capturing little or no value.
“This condition undermines genuine sovereignty. History teaches us, however, that a crisis can sharpen resolve. Africa must take its destiny into its own hands,” he said.
He noted that the Accra Reset advocated the forging of new partnerships to transform global systems that had been rigged against Africa and much of the global south for a long time.
President Mahama said they must reset the narrative through unity of action, self-reliance, and the leveraging of our comparative advantages for industrial growth and economic transformation.
