Mahama Urges United African Voice for 2025 G20 Summit

Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has called on African nations to forge a unified stance ahead of the 2025 G20 Summit, emphasizing the need for fair and transparent debt restructuring frameworks to bolster the continent’s economic sovereignty. Speaking at the African Union Conference on Debt in Lomé, Togo, Mahama outlined a bold vision for Africa to redefine its debt narrative and demand reforms that reflect the continent’s realities.The 2025 G20 Summit, set to take place on November 22-23 in Johannesburg, South Africa, marks a historic moment as the first time an African nation will host the gathering of the world’s major economies. With the African Union (AU) now a permanent G20 member, Mahama stressed that Africa must seize this opportunity to advocate for standardized debt transparency benchmarks and integrate climate adaptation and sustainable development goals into national debt strategies. “We must speak with one voice at the 2025 G20 Summit to demand rules that reflect our realities,” he declared.Mahama criticized the G20 Common Framework, a debt relief initiative for low-income countries, as “slow and creditor-driven.” He noted that only three of the five African nations applying for relief have seen progress, hampered by issues like vulture funds and aggressive litigation. He also highlighted the shortfall in Special Drawing Rights (SDR) reallocation, with Africa still far from the promised $100 billion target.Proposing innovative solutions, Mahama advocated for scaling up green and blue bonds to finance environmental protection, clean energy, and sustainable agriculture. He cited Barbados’ debt-for-climate swaps as a model and urged the full operationalization of the African Monetary Institute and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPS) to reduce reliance on foreign currencies in regional trade. “Let us leave here with a renewed vision, where debt is no longer synonymous with crisis but with capacity,” he said, rallying African leaders to act as partners demanding reform rather than debtors seeking relief.The Lomé conference, themed “Africa’s Public Debt Management Agenda: Restoring and Safeguarding Debt Sustainability,” brought together AU member states, policymakers, financial experts, and civil society to address the continent’s mounting debt challenges. Mahama reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to fiscal transparency, announcing plans for an independent fiscal council and an expanded Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund to attract private financing.As South Africa prepares to lead the G20 under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” Mahama’s call for unity aligns with the AU’s broader push for economic resilience and regional integration. With Africa’s debt servicing obligations projected to hit $79 billion in 2025, the stakes are high for the continent to leverage its collective power at the Johannesburg summit.“Ghana stands ready, shoulder to shoulder with our fellow African nations, to champion this agenda,” Mahama concluded, urging courage and clarity in transforming Africa’s economic future.