By Emmanuel Opare Djan
The Accra Reset initiative, a global development and governance framework launched in 2025, held a high-level side event in Addis Ababa under the theme Addis Reckoning during 39th Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
Speaking at the meeting, President John Dramani Mahama reiterated the urgent need for Africa to act with one voice in responding to the changing global order, a turning point he stressed, the continent cannot afford to ignore.
He noted that shifting global dynamics and evolving international rules make it imperative for Africa to chart its own course and align its resources toward shared objectives in health, agriculture, technology, security, education, and energy in order to reduce vulnerabilities and build resilience.
Mahama stressed that the time had come for Africa to reform, unite, commit, and transform to reposition itself within the global architecture for prosperity and stability. He said this could be achieved through common strategies on critical minerals, foreign-exchange reserves, digital platforms, and value addition to raw materials.
Building the Africa we want, he added, requires discipline, coherence, and courage to stay the course and the confidence to reject externally imposed choices.
Other speakers at the event encouraged African nations to reclaim their sovereignty, particularly in critical sectors such as agriculture and food systems, urging the continent to grow what it eats and eat what it grows.
They warned that Africas response to global change must not be fragmented or reactive, but deliberate, coordinated, and sovereign, supported by strong public systems, institutional alignment, and interoperability.
Participants also called for a renewed sense of urgency in implementing the Accra Reset, cautioning that it must not become just another declaration or communiqué, but a framework grounded in discipline, execution, and integration especially within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
They emphasised that human security, social stability, and economic dynamism should not be treated as competing priorities, but as mutually reinforcing pillars of Africas transformation.
The Accra Reset is a proposal to rethink how global development operates, particularly as the world approaches the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Its central argument is that existing development systems are not delivering sufficient results, especially for countries in Africa and the Global South. The initiative calls for:
New approaches to development financing beyond traditional aid
Stronger national sovereignty in policy decisions
More practical, results-driven partnerships
Better coordination among governments, the private sector, and multilateral institutions
