Former President Nana Akufo-Addo has urged African nations to remain vigilant against external manipulation, warning that the continent must not be allowed to serve as a playground for competing global powers.

Delivering the keynote address at the Strategic Meeting of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s (KAS) Africa team and political partners on Wednesday, September 10, at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra, he underscored the importance of unity and deliberate action to protect Africa’s sovereignty and drive sustainable development.

The event, which concluded KAS’s annual gathering, brought together country representatives from across the continent as well as members of the Foundation’s Board who travelled from Berlin, Germany. Prior to the meeting, Mr Akufo-Addo also held discussions with Prof. Norbert Lammert, former Speaker of the German Parliament and current Chairman of KAS, alongside senior officials from the Foundation’s headquarters.

Speaking on the theme of shifting geopolitics and their implications for Africa, the former Ghanaian leader observed that the global order was becoming increasingly multi-polar, with influence spread among the United States, China, Russia, the European Union, India, and the expanded BRICS grouping, which recently admitted Egypt and Ethiopia.

With competition among these powers intensifying, Mr Akufo-Addo cautioned that Africa must avoid being reduced to a pawn.

“African nations must resist attempts to transform the continent into a theatre of rivalries, where our sovereignty and development goals are undermined by external agendas,” he said.

He called on African leaders to pursue a more coordinated approach, diversify their partnerships, negotiate equitable terms with global players, and advance regional economic integration through mechanisms such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

According to him, strengthening cooperation and investing in homegrown transformation would enable Africa to turn global shifts into opportunities rather than setbacks.