The President of the Republic of Ghana and African Union (AU) Champion for African Financial Institutions, John Dramani Mahama, has arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, to participate in the Africa Forward Summit – a high-level France-Africa partnership meeting convened by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The summit has brought together African Heads of State, global business leaders, and international partners to foster collaboration on sustainable development, economic resilience, and global cooperation. President Mahama’s presence underscores Ghana’s active role in shaping continental policy on finance, industrialisation, and health.

Below is the detailed itinerary of President Mahama’s engagements during his working visit to Nairobi.

Day 1: Arrival and Opening of Summit

Tuesday, Morning Session – Green Industrialisation and Energy Transition

President Mahama will join a high-level discussion on Green Industrialisation and Energy Transition. This session aims to chart a practical path for Africa’s industrial growth while simultaneously addressing the urgent challenges of the global climate crisis. The discussion will explore how African nations can leapfrog to cleaner energy systems without sacrificing development targets.

Tuesday, Midday – Working Lunch on Reform of the International Financial Architecture

Reflecting his strategic role as the AU Champion for African Financial Institutions, President Mahama will participate in a working lunch centered on the Reform of the International Financial Architecture. This discussion will focus specifically on:

• Improving African countries’ access to sustainable financing.
• Ensuring that the global financial system becomes more equitable.
• Making international financial institutions more responsive to the continent’s unique development needs.

Tuesday, Afternoon – Co-Chairing the Round Table on Health

President Mahama, who is leading Ghana’s domestic Accra Reset Initiative on healthcare transformation, will co-chair a Round Table on Health themed: “Rethinking global health and building resilient national health systems.” This engagement will highlight strategies for strengthening health systems across Africa to withstand future pandemics and health emergencies.

Tuesday, Late Afternoon – Side Meetings and Bilateral Engagements

On the sidelines of the summit, President Mahama is scheduled to hold several high-profile bilateral meetings. These include talks with:

• H.E. António Guterres – Secretary-General of the United Nations. Discussions will focus on global cooperation and multilateral support for Africa’s development agenda.
• Kristalina Georgieva – Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The meeting will centre on economic stability, fiscal policy, and Ghana’s ongoing reforms.
• Alvaro Lario – President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Talks will address food security, agricultural financing, and rural development in Ghana and across Africa.

Tuesday, Evening – Departure

President Mahama is expected to leave Nairobi in the evening and return to Accra, concluding his working visit to Kenya.

Summary of Presidential Itinerary

Source: Richard Aniagyei, Information Services Department

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has strongly condemned the recent wave of violent protests and criminal acts targeting foreign nationals in parts of the country.

Ramaphosa stated that such actions do not represent the views of the South African people nor the policy of his government.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) dated May 11, 2026, titled “From the Desk of the President,” Ramaphosa directly addressed the nation, saying:

“The recent violent protests and criminal acts directed at foreign nationals in parts of our country do not represent the views of South Africa’s people nor reflect our government’s policy.”

The statement, which garnered over 545,000 views, comes amid rising tensions and reports of attacks on immigrant-owned businesses and properties in several South African provinces.

Ghana Responds: A Call for Pan-African Resolve

Reacting to the President’s assurance, Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, described the statement as “reassuring” and called for a united African front to resolve the crisis. In a post that invoked the legacy of Ghana’s first president, Ablakwa stated:

“We count on your leadership to resolve this. Ghana deeply values the longstanding great and inspiring bilateral relations defined by true solidarity and brotherhood with South Africa. I unrepentantly share in Kwame Nkrumah’s dream — Africa Shall UNITE.”

The diplomatic exchange highlights the deep concern across the continent following the resurgence of xenophobic violence in South Africa, which has historically led to strained relations with other African nations.

Ablakwa’s emphatic reference to Nkrumah’s vision of a unified Africa underscores Ghana’s expectation that South Africa, as a continental economic powerhouse, will protect the principle of free movement and safety for all African citizens within its borders.

As of press time, no official statement has been released by the South African police regarding arrests or specific measures to curb the violence.

Ghana has not been named among the African countries currently capable of achieving sustained industrial growth, according to a major new report that places the majority of the continent’s economies in either “stalled” or “vulnerable” categories.

The 2025 Annual RED Index of Industrial Development in Africa, released by the Business Council for Africa, finds that only four nations, namely, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritius, and South Africa, possess the full set of capabilities required to drive and maintain long-term industrial transformation.

Two additional countries, Nigeria and Rwanda, have made important progress but do not yet meet all necessary requirements.

Ghana, despite its reputation as a stable democracy and a hub for West African trade, did not make either list.

A ‘Call to Action’ for African Policymakers

The index, whose acronym RED stands for “real economic development,” argues that industrialization is not a matter of aspiration but of “structural readiness.”

“Nations do not transform because they aspire to; they transform when the underlying capabilities of the economy allow productivity, scale, innovation, and global competitiveness,” the report states.

Arnold Ekpe, chairperson of the Business Council for Africa, described the findings as a wake-up call:

“This is not just an index. It is a call to action – for African policymakers, investors, and businesses to take ownership of Africa’s industrial future and commit to the structural changes required to deliver sustained growth.”

The Three Dimensions: Engines, Accelerators, and Decelerators

The RED Index evaluates economies across three decisive dimensions: “Engines of Industrialization,” “Accelerators,” and “Decelerators.”

The seven “engines” required include: a high-growth mindset (national ambition and policy discipline), reliable electrification, strong local financial institutions, digital broadband infrastructure, efficient transport systems, the development of national champion businesses (e.g., Samsung in Korea, OCP in Morocco), and a robust focus on STEM education—an area where the report notes Africa currently suffers a significant deficit.

The three “accelerators” are: effective public-private partnerships (PPPs), modern digital payment systems integrated into industrial value chains, and strategic openness to the global economy.

The major “decelerators” holding nations back include corruption and security instability. “Across the continent, corruption and security instability remain the most significant decelerators, undermining institutional effectiveness and limiting the execution of industrial policy,” the report explains.

Where Does Ghana Stand?

While the RED Index does not publicly rank every country in a league table, its clear delineation of the four capable nations, and the omission of Ghana, raises pointed questions for a country that has long positioned itself as a gateway to West Africa.

Despite possessing some strengths, including a relatively stable democracy and growing digital financial services, Ghana appears to fall short on critical engines such as consistent policy discipline, energy reliability, and the development of large-scale national champion firms that can compete globally.

The report’s emphasis on corruption as a major decelerator also carries weight in Ghana, where public procurement scandals and concerns over institutional inefficiency have repeatedly surfaced. Without addressing these structural constraints, the index suggests, Ghana risks remaining among the majority of “stalled” or “vulnerable” industrial economies.

A Path Forward

The findings do not suggest that Ghana or other excluded nations cannot industrialize, but rather that the underlying capabilities are not yet in place. The Business Council for Africa urges governments to move beyond short-term fixes and focus on the long, disciplined work of building the seven engines—from power and ports to policy consistency and STEM graduates—while actively mitigating corruption.

For Ghana, the message is clear: aspiration alone is not enough.

Without structural readiness, sustained industrial growth will remain out of reach.