Lusaka: President John Dramani Mahama has highlighted that Africa's sovereignty is being compromised due to what he termed as a 'Triple Dependency' on external actors for security, social services, and mineral exploitation. Addressing Zambia's National Assembly, he emphasized that despite achieving political independence decades ago, African countries still face structural dependencies that hinder their economic and developmental autonomy.
According to Ghana Web, President Mahama elucidated that the first dependency pertains to security, where African nations continue to depend on external powers for defense and stability. The second dependency impacts social systems, with crucial sectors like health and education largely reliant on donor funding. The third dependency involves the export of raw materials and import of finished products, which stifles the continent's ability to derive substantial value from its natural resources.
President Mahama stated that these conditions undermine genuine sovereignty and contribute to a pandemic of unfulfilled potential in Africa. He noted that millions of young people remain unemployed, health systems are fragile, and economies extract wealth without building capacity. During his three-day state visit to Zambia, he advocated for the Accra Reset Initiative, a framework he introduced at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The initiative is not a call for isolationism but rather a push for pragmatism and transparency in Africa's engagement with the global economy. It aims to leverage Africa's advantages in minerals and agriculture to drive industrial growth, shifting from aid models to investment-led partnerships. It also seeks to harness digitalisation and financial technology to better connect African markets.
President Mahama urged that while Africa's founding leaders secured political independence, the current generation must focus on economic transformation. He highlighted the urgency for a reset as traditional multilateral systems face pressure, global humanitarian assistance declines, and defense spending rises due to geopolitical tensions. He concluded that Africa must transition from a passive participant in the global system to an active architect of its own economic future.