Ghanaian President John Mahama has explained why Nigeria’s economic and political stability remains vital to Ghana, noting that developments in Africa’s most populous country directly shape regional security and migration trends across West Africa.
Mahama spoke at the 4th African Heritage Awards held in Accra on April 11, where he said Ghana has a strong stake in Nigeria’s progress, warning that instability in Nigeria could place pressure on neighbouring countries, including Ghana.
“If Nigeria does well, Ghana does well,” Mahama said. “When you have cousins, 250 million of them, you want them to do well so that one million of them don’t come drifting towards a small country like Ghana.”
He said he prays regularly for Nigeria’s advancement, stressing that both countries are closely tied through history, migration, and shared ancestry.
“A lot of the people in Ghana migrated from Nigeria. They find their roots in the Yoruba kingdoms… Nigeria is of keen security interest to us,” he said.
Describing Ghana and Nigeria as “twins of the same mother,” Mahama said the relationship between the two countries extends beyond diplomacy to culture, trade, and regional peace.
The Ghanaian leader also used the occasion to push for wider economic reforms across Africa, urging countries to rethink how natural resources are managed and reduce reliance on foreign concessions.
He said Africa must harness its vast natural resources to improve the lives of its people, warning against a system where foreign companies benefit while many Africans remain in poverty.
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“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.
Mahama further highlighted the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area, describing it as a key platform for boosting intra-African trade and shared prosperity.
“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,” he added.