President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Ghana will use its upcoming chairmanship of the African Union (AU) to push for continental integration, accelerate implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and promote peace and security across the continent.
Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, September 24, 2026, President Mahama said Ghana would also work to ensure that Africa speaks on the global stage with a united voice.
“We will use our AU Chairmanship to champion continental integration, accelerate the implementation of the AfCFTA, push for peace and security in conflict zones, and ensure that Africa speaks on the global stage with one resolute, undivided, and confident voice,” President Mahama said.
Ghana is expected to assume the AU Chairmanship in January 2027.
He described Ghana’s upcoming role in the AU as an opportunity to contribute to efforts to address some of Africa’s pressing challenges.
The President also used his address to call for greater global cooperation in tackling conflicts and other crises confronting the international community.
He argued that the challenges of various nations were not beyond resolution, rather the key obstacle is lack of political courage and a shared sense of humanity.
“The daunting crises confronting our world are not insurmountable. What we lack is not resources or intellect; we lack the political courage to see one another as part of a single human family,” he said.
President Mahama urged world leaders to move away from seeing each other as strategic rivals, economic targets, or demographic threats, but as human beings who belong.
