President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday co-chaired the second plenary session on the theme “Economy: Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa”.

This is at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama, Japan.

He co-chaired the session with former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, alongside interventions from Kenyan President William Ruto, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The UN Under-Secretary-General Cristina Duarte and Comoros President Azali Assoumani also delivered remarks.

In his concluding statement, President Mahama said TICAD-9 comes at a time of rapid shifts in the global order.

“The world’s largest economy, which should be the driver of global trade and investments, has become more insular and transactional in its relationship with the rest of the world,” he noted.

President Mahama urged African leaders to embrace reforms if the continent is to attract sustainable trade and investment.

“Africa is open for business. We wish to partner with any nation in the world on a win-win basis. But let’s not kid ourselves! Trade and investments will not come to Africa because we wish for it,” he stressed.

According to him, Africa must take the “hard but necessary” steps to make itself an attractive investment hub.

“That is why we must silence the guns and stop the fighting. That is why we must reform our economies and make them more stable and predictable.

"This is why we must reform our governance and make public service accountable and corruption-free,” he added.