Mahama unveils ‘Accra Reset’ at 80th UNGA

President John Dramani Mahama has launched the Accra Reset, a new global framework to transform development financing and partnerships, during a high-level side event at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

The initiative, launched alongside a coalition of world leaders, seeks to address what President Mahama described as a “fraying” global development architecture.

As African Union Champion for African Financial Institutions, the President highlighted challenges that have reversed decades of progress, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said “erased two decades of progress in under two years,” mounting debt burdens, and worsening climate shocks that now threaten more than 700 million people with hunger.

“The world is only five years from 2030,” President Mahama stressed. “The question is not simply what new targets should replace the SDGs, but how we design institutions and financing systems that actually work. Workability is the name of the game now: innovative financing instruments, new business models, and smarter coalitions that multiply resources rather than ration them.”

A new development architecture

The Accra Reset is anchored in three principles: sovereignty, workability, and shared value. It will use the health sector as a proof of concept to shift from aid dependency to health sovereignty, building on outcomes from the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit held in Accra in August 2025.

To operationalise the plan, a coalition known as the Club of Accra will pilot innovative financing tools and establish “geostrategic dealrooms” to drive investments in health, climate, food security, and job creation.

One of the key announcements was the creation of a Global Presidential Council, uniting leaders from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and beyond to provide political leadership and accountability. A Global College of Advisors will also be established, bringing together experts in health, finance, innovation, and business to guide pilot projects and financing mechanisms.

Strong global backing

The launch drew wide-ranging support from political, institutional, and private sector leaders.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, co-convenor of the initiative and Co-Patron of AfroChampions, called for a new era of solidarity and a decisive break from aid dependency.

Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown described the Reset as “a plan for the future” and underscored the need for building health sovereignty.

Kenyan President William Ruto, in a speech delivered on his behalf, stressed the importance of financing that aligns with national ambitions, urging accountability from the Global Presidential Council in delivering universal health coverage.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley pledged to align skills and industrial policies to support pharmaceutical manufacturing across the Global South.

From the private sector, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Access Bank, assured strong leadership and financing commitments. Support also came from Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organisation and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Trade Organization, who both endorsed the need to “rewire” outdated global norms.

With the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals approaching, and less than half of the 169 targets on track, the Accra Reset is being positioned as a blueprint to realign the global development agenda with today’s urgent realities.

Read also…