President John Drama Mahama has warned that calls for greater control by countries in the Global South over their development programmes must be matched by strong domestic accountability.
He said countries cannot demand control over their development priorities while failing to ensure that their own governments remain accountable to citizens.
President Mahama made the remarks in New York on Monday, September 21, 2026, at a high-level side event on the Accra Reset: Global Reset Dialogue held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
He said the Accra Reset is premised on the principle that countries should have greater control over decisions affecting their development and health systems.
However, he cautioned that simply transferring power from international institutions to national governments would not automatically produce genuine sovereignty.
“Moving power from distant boardrooms in Geneva or Washington into an unaccountable ministry in Accra, Abuja, or anywhere else will not magically manifest sovereignty either,” he said.
President Mahama said countries seeking greater control must demonstrate that they can exercise that authority responsibly.
“If we demand control, we must earn it through uncompromising domestic accountability,” he said.
He pointed to Ghana’s Resetting Ghana Agenda, saying the government is tightening fiscal controls, fighting corruption and ensuring that every public cedi is accounted for down to the last pesewa.
According to him, the same standard must apply across the Global South.
“No ownership without control, yes but no control without absolute accountability to our people,” President Mahama declared.
He said this principle forms part of the foundation of the proposed New Global Bargain, which seeks to match responsibility with authority, back authority with productive capability and hold partners accountable for their commitments.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭