President John Dramani Mahama has co-chaired the second plenary session on “Economy: Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa” at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama, Japan. The session was co-chaired with former Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, and featured interventions from several African leaders, including Kenyan President William Ruto, Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbe, and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa.
President Mahama emphasized that Africa is open for business and willing to partner with any nation on a win-win basis. However, he stressed that trade and investments will not come to Africa without effort, and that the continent must undertake necessary reforms to make itself an attractive destination for investments. He highlighted the need for African countries to silence guns, reform their economies, and make governance more accountable and corruption-free.
In his remarks, President Mahama noted that the world is undergoing rapid changes, with the largest economy becoming more insular and transactional in its relationships with the rest of the world. He emphasized the importance of African countries taking proactive steps to create a stable and predictable economic environment that can attract investments and drive development.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
