Mahama Urges Shift from "Colonial" Commodity Exports to Industrial Growth


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The President of the Republic of Ghana  🇬🇭 

President John Dramani Mahama has issued a sharp critique of Africa’s current economic trajectory, arguing that political sovereignty is hollow without a fundamental shift toward industrialization.

​Speaking Wednesday at the Africa Trade Summit in Accra, Mahama characterized the continent’s reliance on raw material exports as a "modern form of colonialism." He cautioned that unless African nations prioritize value addition, they will remain trapped in a cycle of poverty and exploitation.

​The President highlighted the stark disparity between Africa’s resource wealth and its economic returns. He specifically pointed to the cocoa sector as a primary example of missed opportunity. While African nations produce the vast majority of the world’s cocoa, they retain only a fraction of the multi-billion dollar profits generated by the global chocolate industry.

​The President outlined several key pillars necessary for a continental "economic independence":

  • ​Agro-processing: Moving beyond farming to high-level food manufacturing.

  • ​Mineral Beneficiation: Processing timber and minerals domestically rather than shipping them abroad.
  • ​Job Creation: Using local manufacturing to absorb the growing labor force and deepen technical skills.

​Describing the current model of exporting raw goods only to import finished products as "outdated," Mahama called for a deliberate pivot. He noted that Africa currently accounts for less than 2% of global manufacturing—a figure he insists must rise to ensure inclusive growth.

​"What is freedom without economic transformation?" Mahama asked the delegation, stressing that the next generation must define independence through technological and industrial self-reliance.

​Addressing domestic efforts, the President noted that Ghana is implementing targeted policies to reduce import dependency. By fostering a climate for domestic processing and boosting export earnings from finished goods, the nation aims to serve as a blueprint for wider continental transformation

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