Ghanaian President John Mahama has said he prays for Nigeria’s success, stressing that the prosperity of Africa’s most populous nation is crucial to stability in the region and would reduce migration pressure on Ghana.

Speaking at the 4th edition of the African Heritage Awards in Accra on April 11, Mahama underscored the deep historical and cultural ties between both countries while making a broader case for economic reforms across Africa.

“If Nigeria does well, Ghana does well,” he said. “I mean, when you have cousins, 250 million of them, you want them to do well so that 1 million of them don’t come drifting towards a small country like Ghana.

“So every day I wake up, I pray for Nigeria, I say God let Nigeria get their act together.”

Mahama described Nigeria as vital to Ghana’s security and well-being, citing longstanding migration patterns and shared ancestry. “A lot of the people in Ghana migrated from Nigeria. They find their roots in the Yoruba kingdoms and all that… and so, Nigeria is of keen security interest to us,” he said.

Highlighting the close relationship between both nations, he added, “Ghana and Nigeria are twins of the same mother, except when we fight over Jollof and football. Otherwise, you know we are the same people.”

Beyond bilateral relations, Mahama used the platform to call for a shift in how African countries manage their natural resources and economic priorities.

“We need to make a paradigm shift in how we have considered investments, how we’ve considered our natural resources and everything in Africa,” he said.

“The world is changing, the global order is changing, and we must adapt to the changes. After the Second World War, we all agreed that we had a multilateral system and each was his brother’s keeper.”

He warned that declining humanitarian support and changing global priorities require African nations to rethink their strategies. “After the arms race came to an end, we said there was going to be a dividend, a nuclear dividend which would make sure that everybody on this earth enjoys a decent standard of living. I mean, clearly, things are shifting from what we all anticipated. Humanitarian assistance is dwindling, countries are reducing their ODA and using it more for defence purposes and all that.”

Mahama also criticised longstanding economic arrangements that favour foreign interests, warning that such practices must end.

“Africa cannot sit with a cup in hand and go begging. One of the major assets we have is what nature gave us. We didn’t put the gold in the ground, we didn’t put the lithium in the ground, we didn’t put the oil and gas in the ground.

“God gave it to us, and so like I’ve said in many places, those days of huge concessions gifted to foreign companies and set up huge you know rich enclaves next to African poverty where there’s no clean drinking water, those days are coming to an end,” he said.

He pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area as a positive step toward boosting intra-African trade and prosperity, despite initial challenges.

“We must take advantage of what God has gifted us to make sure that we’re able to create prosperity for our people, and we can do it.

“We started with the African continental free trade area, we do have teething problems, but I’m sure that it’s a good sign. Already, we can see that trade between our countries is increasing, and so we do have the capacity to be able to create prosperity for our people and dignity.”

Concluding, Mahama emphasised the importance of leadership and collaboration in shaping Africa’s future.

“We continue to fight and represent our countries. We want to show that leadership can make a change because I believe that if we get proper leadership in Africa and we work together, we have some of the best brains, we have wonderful people, we’ll be able to make a change in the lives of our people,” he added.

Among dignitaries at the event was Akinwumi Adesina, who received the African Lifetime Achievement Award. (Vanguard)