President John Dramani Mahama has called for a new model of global partnerships with Africa that prioritises value addition, resource sovereignty, and long-term economic transformation across the continent.

According to the President, future alliances with Africa must move beyond raw material extraction and instead focus on building industries that process and add value to Africa’s vast natural resources.

“New alliances with Africa must aim at adding value to Africa’s natural resources. They must also aim at granting Africa greater sovereignty and control over those resources,” he stated at the World Governments Summit in Dubai.

He cited Ghana’s establishment of the Goldbod as a practical example of this new direction, noting that the initiative has generated more than $10 billion in revenue in less than a year, strengthening Ghana’s control over its gold value chain.

President Mahama explained that Ghana’s medium- to long-term development strategy is anchored in processing and value addition across both the mineral and agricultural sectors.

“Our goal is to process and add value to our mineral ores and agricultural products, including gold, manganese, bauxite, lithium, petroleum, cocoa, oil palm, cashew, fruits, soya, cassava and other raw materials,” he added.

He stressed that value addition would not only boost export earnings but also create jobs, strengthen supply chains, and enhance Africa’s economic resilience in an increasingly competitive global economy.

President Mahama further welcomed the growing Ghana–UAE and broader Africa–Gulf partnerships, saying:

“I am happy to note that Ghana–UAE and Africa–Gulf partnerships are helping to shape a more connected and prosperous future and are becoming an important pillar of the emerging global order,” he added.