President John Dramani Mahama and President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the United Republic of Tanzania have held high-level bilateral discussions at the State House in Arusha to strengthen diplomatic relations and address pressing global concerns.
During the meeting, held in the spirit of Pan-African solidarity, both leaders committed to revitalizing structured engagements by expediting the establishment of a Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation and preparing for a prospective State Visit to formalize various bilateral agreements. Invoking the historic partnership between founding fathers Kwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere, the two heads of state emphasized the need for deeper continental cooperation and resource sovereignty.
Addressing economic transformation, President Mahama highlighted Ghana’s recent success in the gold sector, noting that reforms have boosted small-scale gold exports to 104 metric tonnes, contributing approximately US$10 billion to the national economy. He also announced a strategic shift in Ghana’s cocoa industry, moving away from external financing to mobilize domestic resources for the annual procurement and local processing of 400,000 metric tonnes of cocoa.
The discussions further touched on the volatile situation in the Middle East, with President Mahama expressing deep concern over escalating hostilities involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, warning that sustained instability in the region poses a significant economic threat to African nations vulnerable to crude oil price fluctuations.
President Mahama, who is in Arusha as the Special Guest of Honour for the 20th Anniversary and Opening of the 2026 Legal Year of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, used the occasion to urge member states to ratify the Court’s Protocol to advance justice across the continent.
He also commended President Hassan for her commitment to democratic maturity through the establishment of an independent Commission of Inquiry and plans for a Reconciliation Commission following Tanzania’s elections.
Concluding the session in his capacity as the African Union Champion on Reparations, President Mahama confirmed that a resolution seeking to recognize the transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity will be tabled before the United Nations General Assembly on 25 March, expressing gratitude for Tanzania’s steadfast support of the reparations agenda.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
