President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the Republic of Ghana and France are continuing to significantly deepen the bilateral relations between the two nations across all strategic fronts, encompassing health, economic growth, and international security.
Reflecting on his recent diplomatic engagements, President Mahama expressed his profound gratitude for the distinct honour of being invited to co-chair the prestigious One Health Summit held in Lyon, France. During this high-level international forum, he took the opportunity to explicitly lay out the core objectives of the proposed "Accra Reset" initiative. He carefully framed this vision within the broader context of the global One Health agenda, a framework that emphasizes the critical interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health.
In a detailed update shared via a Facebook post, President Mahama highlighted that his productive bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and the President of the French Senate serve to further demonstrate the deeply rooted shared values and mutual respect uniting the two countries.
"Ghana is delighted and deeply honoured to be selected as the very first beneficiary of France’s newly established health compact," he announced, signaling a major milestone for the nation's healthcare infrastructure and public health delivery systems.
On the economic front, President Mahama used the occasion to officially extend his gratitude to both France and China for their pivotal, cooperative roles in supporting Ghana’s complex debt restructuring process. He confidently informed President Macron that the Ghanaian economy has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of recent global financial challenges. Emphasizing this recovery, he stated that “the economy has bounced back and is doing very well, with very positive indicators” pointing toward sustained future growth.
Furthermore, the two leaders discussed a broad, forward-looking range of development cooperation initiatives. This included strategies for building upon years of crucial financial and technical support from the French Development Agency (AFD). They explored major infrastructure projects such as the highly anticipated Accra-Kumasi Expressway, which is vital for domestic trade and transport. Additionally, they discussed ensuring long-term food security through innovative year-round farming initiatives, advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) development to boost technological capacity, and significantly enhancing institutional support for maternal health services across Ghana.
In his remarks, President Mahama passionately emphasised that the fundamental strength of the Ghana-France relationship is firmly rooted in an unwavering shared commitment to democratic governance, the rules-based international system, and the promotion of global peace.
“Ghana and France stand together on key issues of peace and security,” President Mahama stated. During their dialogue, the two leaders rigorously analysed the cascading socio-economic impacts of various global conflicts on distant regions. They also spent considerable time discussing collaborative strategies and diplomatic measures required to maintain and promote stability within the increasingly complex West African sub-region.
Prior to his high-profile arrival at the Élysée Palace for discussions with President Macron, President Mahama and his accompanying delegation engaged in fruitful preliminary dialogues with the President of the French Senate, setting a positive, collaborative tone for the entirety of the diplomatic visit.