President John Dramani Mahama has challenged the global community to tackle Africa’s persistent poverty and dependency with the same urgency and coordination used to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, Mahama reflected on lessons from the fight against HIV/AIDS, noting that two decades ago, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and world leaders, including President Olusegun Obasanjo, successfully coordinated a global response that led to the creation of the Global Fund, saving millions of lives.

“Today, we face a different pandemic—the pandemic of unfulfilled potential. Millions of young Africans have no jobs. Health systems collapse at the first crisis. Economies extract resources but build nothing lasting.

"If we could mobilise the world to fight a disease, why can't we mobilise to fight poverty, dependency, and the systems that keep brilliant young Africans locked out of the future?” he asked.

The President highlighted Ghana’s “Resetting Ghana” agenda as a practical example, citing government reforms including cutting the size of the cabinet to a record low of 58 ministers, digitising services to end corruption, training young people for future jobs, and renegotiating debt to invest in citizens rather than just servicing loans.

He then expanded the vision to Africa and the Global South, proposing strategies to assert sovereignty over natural resources, build regional manufacturing hubs, produce vaccines and medicines locally, and create sustainable employment for young people.

“This is the Accra Reset vision. It is not a talk shop or a declaration. It is a practical blueprint for building real sovereignty—measured in jobs created, children in school, children vaccinated, and young people thriving,” he said.

He added, “In this fast-changing world, countries must compete, innovate, and build—or be left behind. Our young people are watching. They are brilliant, they are angry, and they are running out of patience. This is what we must focus on.”