Mahama: BRICS partnership will diversify Ghana’s development ties

He made these remarks during the swearing-in ceremony of four new Ambassadors at the Jubilee House on Friday, October 16, 2026. The ambassadors are Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo to Angola, Louis Kwame Obeng to Qatar, Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable to Israel, and Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland.

The President said Ghana intends to pursue wider opportunities for trade, investment, industrialisation and value addition while maintaining its longstanding relationships with traditional partners.

President Mahama tasked the envoys to clearly communicate the rationale behind Ghana’s engagement with BRICS to their host countries and international partners.

“Ghana’s decision to apply for partnership with the BRICS countries reflects our determination to broaden our development partnerships and deepen South-South cooperation,” President Mahama said.

He stressed that Ghana’s engagement with BRICS should be explained within the context of the country’s broader economic and foreign policy objectives.

The President said Ghana would seek “wider opportunities for trade, investment and industrialisation, and also value addition, while sustaining our longstanding relationships and working relations with our traditional partners.”

According to President Mahama, the changing global environment requires Ghana to protect its freedom to make decisions while building partnerships that strengthen its productive capacity and competitiveness.

He cited shifting global alliances, increasing trade restrictions and growing competition over technology and natural resources as some of the developments requiring a more strategic approach to Ghana’s international relations.

The President said economic diplomacy must consequently move beyond engagements and agreements to produce measurable benefits for Ghanaians.

He tasked Ghana’s diplomatic missions to identify investors whose interests align with the country’s development priorities, assist Ghanaian businesses to enter new international markets and establish partnerships that support research, skills development and technology transfer.

“Judge the success of your economic diplomacy by the opportunities you are able to bring to Ghana,” President Mahama told the envoys.

He also charged the missions to follow through on investment proposals and agreements, identify obstacles to their implementation and work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant institutions to resolve them.

President Mahama said Ghana’s determination to retain greater value from its natural resources is reflected in initiatives including the establishment of the Ghana Gold Board and efforts to promote local processing of critical minerals such as lithium, bauxite and manganese.

He therefore wants Ghana’s foreign missions to attract investment and expertise capable of transforming the country’s natural resources into productive industries and sustainable employment.

The President maintained that expanding Ghana’s partnerships would not mean abandoning existing relationships, but rather widening the country’s options as it pursues its national development interests in an increasingly complex global environment.