Fatimah Otunsanya
Ghanaian President John Mahama has emphasised the bond between Ghana and Nigeria, stating that Nigeria is of “keen security interest” to the Ghanaian people.
Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour and Chief Host at the 4th edition of the African Heritage Awards in Accra on Saturday, Mahama combined lighthearted cultural observations with a stern call for a paradigm shift in how Africa manages its vast natural wealth.
Addressing the historical and social ties between the two West African countries, Mahama described Ghana and Nigeria as “twins of the same mother,” noting that the only friction typically arises over “Jollof and football.”
“Ghana and Nigeria are twins of the same mother, except when we fight over Jollof and football. Otherwise, you know we are the same people,” Mahama said.
“A lot of the people in Ghana migrated from Nigeria. They find their roots in the Yoruba kingdoms and all that… and so, Nigeria is of keen security interest to us.”
Highlighting Nigeria’s demographic weight, Mahama noted that Ghana’s prayers for its neighbour are rooted in both brotherhood and pragmatism.
“If Nigeria does well, Ghana does well,” he said. “I mean, when you have cousins, 250 million of them, you want them to do well so that 1 million of them don’t come drifting towards a small country like Ghana.
“So every day I wake up, I pray for Nigeria, I say God let Nigeria get their act together.”
Beyond bilateral relations, the president called for a radical shift in how Africa manages its natural wealth.
Mahama said, “We need to make a paradigm shift in how we have considered investments, how we’ve considered our natural resources and everything in Africa.
“The world is changing, the global order is changing, and we must adapt to the changes. After the Second World War, we all agreed that we had a multilateral system and each was his brother’s keeper.
“After the arms race came to an end, we said there was going to be a dividend, a nuclear dividend which would make sure that everybody on this earth enjoys a decent standard of living. I mean, clearly, things are shifting from what we all anticipated. Humanitarian assistance is dwindling, countries are reducing their ODA and using it more for defence purposes and all that.”
He warned that the era of “huge concessions” to foreign companies—which often leave behind “rich enclaves next to African poverty”—must come to an end.
“Africa cannot sit with a cup in hand and go begging. One of the major assets we have is what nature gave us. We didn’t put the gold in the ground, we didn’t put the lithium in the ground, we didn’t put the oil and gas in the ground.
“God gave it to us, and so like I’ve said in many places, those days of huge concessions gifted to foreign companies and set up huge you know rich enclaves next to African poverty where there’s no clean drinking water, those days are coming to an end,” he said.
He pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area as a sign of progress, despite “teething problems,” as a mechanism to create prosperity and dignity for the continent’s people.
Mahama said, “We must take advantage of what God has gifted us to make sure that we’re able to create prosperity for our people, and we can do it.
“We started with the African continental free trade area, we do have teething problems, but I’m sure that it’s a good sign. Already, we can see that trade between our countries is increasing, and so we do have the capacity to be able to create prosperity for our people and dignity.”
Concluding his address, Mahama stressed that Africa’s future depends on a synergy of proper leadership and the continent’s intellectual capital.
“We continue to fight and represent our countries. We want to show that leadership can make a change because I believe that if we get proper leadership in Africa and we work together, we have some of the best brains, we have wonderful people, we’ll be able to make a change in the lives of our people,” he added.
Also, the immediate past President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, was among those conferred with the African Lifetime Achievement Award at the event.
