UNGA81: Mahama to take Accra Reset agenda to African Union in 2027

President John Dramani Mahama says Ghana will take the Accra Reset agenda to the African Union when the country assumes the AU chairmanship in 2027.

The President announced the plan during a high-level Accra Reset dialogue in New York on Monday, September 21, 2026.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

Mahama said Ghana will work with the African Union, the Non-Aligned Movement and the G77 plus China.

The focus will be on development, health governance, self-reliance and international cooperation.

“Excellencies, as Ghana prepares to assume the Chairmanship of the African Union in 2027, we will carry this Reset agenda into the heart of Africa’s collective policy framework, working hand in hand with the Non-Aligned Movement and the G77 plus China,” he said.

The Accra Reset began a year ago. Its goal is to promote stronger national and regional capacity. It also seeks to reshape relationships between developing countries and international partners.

At the New York event, Mahama launched A Sovereign Future for Health. The report comes from the High-Level Panel on Reform of the Global Health Architecture and Governance.

It contains 10 recommendations for improving global health cooperation.

The proposals address health financing, regional institutions and innovation. They also cover local manufacturing, procurement, humanitarian continuity and accountability.

Mahama said the initiative has reached the point where the recommendations must be put into practice.

“We are now moving from design to execution,” he said.

Ghana and the Presidential Council will lead the implementation process.

They will bring together governments, global health organisations, development finance institutions, philanthropies and private-sector partners.

The aim is to turn the recommendations into country-level compacts.

“Over the coming months, Ghana and the Presidential Council will convene governments, global health bodies, development finance institutions, philanthropies, and the private sector to translate these recommendations into country-level compacts,” he said.

The President also wants greater cooperation among countries in the Global South.

He identified institutions in Brazil, India, Indonesia, the Gulf and Africa as potential partners.

Brazil’s Fiocruz was specifically mentioned. Mahama said these partnerships should create networks that connect research, regulation, manufacturing and distribution.

“We want to build self-sustaining networks that connect research, regulatory oversight, local manufacturing, and reliable distribution,” he said.

He stressed that greater self-reliance should not mean cutting ties with the rest of the world.

“Let me be clear: this sovereign health agenda is not a retreat into isolationism,” he said.

Instead, Mahama said the Accra Reset is built around what he called “pragmatic interdependence”.

“We are seeking pragmatic interdependence: a mature, equal partnership where we see one another as equals,” he said.

The President also connected the global initiative to Ghana’s domestic agenda.

He said Ghana is pursuing reforms in economic management, governance and industry.

The programme also includes economic self-reliance, local value addition, stronger public health infrastructure and the 24-Hour Economy initiative.

“Our domestic agenda in Ghana, which is built on economic self-reliance, local value addition, robust public health infrastructure, transparent governance, and the 24-Hour Economy initiative, mirrors the objectives of the Accra Reset,” he said.

Mahama said Ghana’s experience can contribute to the wider push for stronger national capacity.

He also urged stakeholders to move quickly from policy to implementation.

“The Panel has completed its assignment. Now, the responsibility falls on us to deliver its promise. We have come full circle; let us not go around in circles,” he said.

He outlined three principles for the proposed New Global Bargain: “Ownership backed by real control; Cooperation defined by human dignity; and Promises that manifest as real protection for that baby girl born tonight; whether in Kathmandu, in Arusha, or in Damongo.”

Ghana’s AU chairmanship in 2027 will therefore provide a platform for the country to advance the Accra Reset within Africa’s wider policy framework.