At a high-level side event during the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, President John Dramani Mahama, African Union Champion for African Financial Institutions, joined heads of state, multilateral leaders, and private sector partners to launch the Accra Reset—a bold framework aimed at re-engineering global development institutions, financing, and partnerships as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) era nears its close.
Opening the event, President Mahama warned that the current global development architecture is “fraying.” He noted that COVID-19 wiped out two decades of progress in less than two years, extreme climate shocks have left nearly 735 million people at risk of hunger, and many developing nations now spend more on servicing debt than on health and education. With fewer than half of the 169 SDG targets on track, he stressed that “development-as-usual must end.”
“The world is only five years from 2030,” Mahama said. “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.”
The Accra Reset, co-convened by President Mahama and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, is anchored on sovereignty, workability, and shared value. Health will serve as the entry point and proof of concept, shifting from aid dependency to health sovereignty, and building on commitments made at the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra in August 2025.
A Club of Accra coalition will initiate pilot financing innovations and “geostrategic dealrooms” for investments in health, climate resilience, food security, and job creation.
The launch also unveiled the Global Presidential Council, a coalition of Heads of State and Government from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and beyond, tasked with providing political leadership and accountability. In parallel, a Global College of Advisors, comprising leading experts in health, finance, innovation, and business, will be established to design and oversee pilots and financing mechanisms.
The event drew strong endorsements from political and institutional leaders:
Olusegun Obasanjo, Co-Patron of AfroChampions, urged solidarity “fit for the new era” and a decisive shift away from aid dependency.
Gordon Brown described the Reset as “a plan for the future” and endorsed the vision for building health sovereignty.
President William Ruto (in remarks read on his behalf) emphasized financing national ambitions and holding the Global Presidential Council accountable for universal health coverage.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley pledged alignment on skills and industrial policy to make pharmaceutical manufacturing viable.
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Access Bank, committed significant private sector leadership and financing.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (WHO) and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (WTO) expressed institutional support for “rewiring” global norms.
Concluding the launch, President Mahama recalled the Monterrey Consensus of 2001, which paved the way for GAVI and the Global Fund, noting that the world now requires “a new vision of multilateralism—one that moves from wish lists to engines of sustainable value creation.”
