President John Dramani Mahama has called on African leaders to fundamentally redefine the continent’s understanding of wealth, insisting that Africa’s most valuable inheritance is not its gold, oil, or lithium deposits, but its people.
Delivering an address at the anniversary ceremony of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Arusha, President Mahama acknowledged Africa’s vast natural resource endowment.
However, he stressed that the true measure of prosperity lies in citizens who are free from oppression and guaranteed their fundamental rights the rights to life, dignity, liberty, and self-determination.
According to him, no amount of mineral wealth can compensate for a continent where human potential is suppressed. “Our greatest resource is not beneath our soil,” he indicated, “but within our people.”
President Mahama paid tribute to iconic African figures including Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, and Nelson Mandela, describing them as symbols of courage, sacrifice, and the relentless pursuit of justice.
He noted that their deaths represented not only personal tragedies but a profound loss of potential for the continent’s progress.
He urged present-day leaders to envision an Africa that measures its prosperity not by the volume of resources extracted from the ground, but by the well-being, empowerment, and freedoms enjoyed by its citizens.
President Mahama concluded by emphasizing that sustainable development and genuine transformation will only be achieved when governance systems prioritize human rights, accountability, and inclusive opportunities for all Africans.
LISTEN TO PRESIDENT MAHAMA IN THE AUDIO BELOW:
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 🇬🇭