Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, has earned global recognition after being ranked fifth on the 2026 Devex Power 50 list, which highlights the most influential figures shaping international development and social change.
The ranking places President Mahama among the world’s leading changemakers for his role in advancing the “Accra Reset,” a bold, African-led framework that calls for a fundamental rethink of how development is financed and governed.
According to Devex, Mahama’s influence stems from his push for Africa to move beyond aid dependency and renegotiate its position in the global economic system.
The Accra Reset advocates self-reliance, stronger domestic resource mobilisation, regional trade, debt relief, fairer trade rules, and climate finance, rather than reliance on shrinking traditional aid flows.
President Mahama returned to office in January 2025, marking his second term as president after previously serving from 2012 to 2016.
Over the years, he has also served as Vice President, a Member of Parliament, and a minister, and was the first co-chair of the United Nations Advocacy Group on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Devex notes that Mahama has emerged as a leading voice in global debates on development reform, particularly at a time when international aid is under pressure.
In August 2025, he convened African leaders, policymakers, and global health experts in Accra, where the initial vision for African health sovereignty was unveiled.
That initiative later evolved into a broader development agenda.
The framework was formally expanded during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, and further elevated at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, positioning the Accra Reset as not only an African agenda but a global call for new governance, business, and financing models.
Devex describes Mahama as the hands-on political champion of the initiative, supported by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who serves as an adviser.
Together, they have framed the Accra Reset as an effort to end “development-as-usual” and respond to shifting global realities, including cuts in U.S. foreign aid.
The recognition underscores President Mahama’s growing influence beyond Ghana, as his ideas continue to shape conversations on the future of global development and Africa’s role in the world economy.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
