President John Dramani Mahama has challenged the Global South to confront what he described as a persistent imbalance in global governance, saying political independence has not translated into sufficient control over international trade, finance, and health systems.

Addressing the Accra Reset: Global Reset Dialogue in New York, President Mahama reflected on the 1955 Bandung Conference, where 29 nations came together to demand a greater voice in global affairs.

He said that although countries subsequently achieved political independence, the major levers shaping their economic and health futures remained concentrated elsewhere.

“We won political independence; we raised our national flags and sang our anthems. Yet, the levers of global trade, finance, and health governance remained firmly anchored elsewhere,” he said.

President Mahama said the Accra Reset was intended to address that imbalance by linking political authority, productive capability and financial resilience.

He argued that countries could not achieve meaningful sovereignty simply by having their flags and institutions recognised internationally while remaining dependent on systems over which they have limited influence.