President John Dramani Mahama has urged the world to look to Africa as the next global hub for trade and investment, stressing that the continent is “open for business.”
Delivering his address at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Japan on Thursday, August 21, 2025, the President said Africa’s 1.4 billion people, rising middle class, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offer unmatched opportunities for growth.
He, however, cautioned that unlocking Africa’s potential depends largely on the continent’s ability to undertake critical reforms.
“Trade and investment will not come to Africa merely because we wish it,” he stated.
“We must undertake the hard but necessary reforms to make Africa an attractive destination for investment. And 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. And it is why we must reform our governance and make public service accountable and free of corruption.”
President Mahama called for a shift from dependency on aid to strategic partnerships that drive prosperity. He noted that combining Japan’s advanced technology with Africa’s natural resources and skilled youth could deliver transformative development outcomes.
He also thanked Japan for its consistent support to Africa’s growth and urged leaders to use TICAD 9 as a turning point for resetting Africa’s global narrative.
