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President John Dramani Mahama has called on African countries to abandon long-standing dependence on foreign aid, warning that the continent can no longer afford a culture of “begging” if it is to secure sustainable development.
Reflecting on his address to the Zambian Parliament during his state visit, President Mahama said Africa must urgently take responsibility for its own growth as humanitarian assistance continues to decline globally.
“Humanitarian assistance has gone down. Africa cannot continue going cup in hand begging for that kind of support. We need to pull ourselves together,” the President said in an interview with Joy News on Friday, February 6, 2026.
According to President Mahama, his speech to the Zambian Parliament was intentionally framed to challenge African leaders to rethink the continent’s development approach and move towards self-sufficiency.
He explained that the address was anchored on the principles of the Accra Reset, a framework that promotes African unity, regional cooperation and collective decision-making as the foundation for development.
“I chose to give a speech that rallies Africa together based on the objectives of the Accra Reset so that we can come together and make collective decisions,” he stated.
The President emphasised that Africa’s future lies in stronger collaboration among its countries, particularly in areas such as intra-African trade, natural resource management and coordinated economic planning.
He noted that by working together, African nations can stabilise their economies, strengthen their bargaining power on the global stage and significantly reduce reliance on external support.
President Mahama stressed that unity and self-reliance are no longer optional but necessary if Africa is to break free from aid dependency and take full control of its destiny in the global economic system.
