Mahama Tells TIME: ‘I Want to Prove Ghana and Africa Can Stand on Their Own’ Amid U.S. Aid Cuts and Global Tensions
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has told TIME magazine that he aims to demonstrate Africa’s self-reliance, criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump’s unilateral policies like aid cuts and tariffs as detrimental to global collaboration, while outlining his vision for economic transformation through innovation and regional trade.
In the exclusive interview, Mahama reflected on his administration’s rapid stabilization—halving inflation, strengthening the cedi by 30%, and launching initiatives like a 24-hour economy and free first-year tertiary fees—despite USAID’s $156 million slash in health and education funding. “The cuts were not fatal for us, but they hurt others… It teaches us to be self-reliant,” he said, warning that Trump’s “island” approach erodes U.S. soft power and invites rivals like China to fill voids.
Mahama decried the $12.7 billion USAID reduction in sub-Saharan Africa—0.6% of regional GDP—as a setback, projecting 5.7 million more in extreme poverty and 2-4 million annual deaths.
Yet, he views it as a “wake-up call,” pushing Ghana toward local processing of gold and cocoa, and leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area for a $3 trillion market. “Africa’s GDP could hit $29 trillion by 2050—we must trade among ourselves,” he emphasized, citing partnerships with India for pharmaceuticals and calls for fair WTO tariffs.
The president, drawing from his Soviet education and first term’s challenges, stressed multilateralism: “Unilateralism doesn’t help anyone.” He condemned Trump’s “white genocide” claims about South Africa as an “insult to all Africans” and advocated adding an African UN Security Council member without veto.
Mahama’s candid style—once earning a U.S. State Department rebuke for his Guardian op-ed—underscores his push for autonomy, with plans to train 1 million coders and fight galamsey through reclaimed forests. As Africa navigates U.S. retrenchment, Mahama’s message resonates: “The future is African
