President John Dramani Mahama has declared that economic emancipation is the next major challenge confronting Ghana, Jamaica and the African continent, urging stronger cooperation among African and Caribbean nations to accelerate sustainable development and improve the livelihoods of their people.
Speaking at the Special High-Level Reparations Dialogue at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, President Mahama said that while the struggle for political independence had been successfully won decades ago, the focus must now shift towards achieving economic freedom and shared prosperity.
The President noted that the enduring relationship between Ghana and Jamaica is rooted in a common history and the ideals of Pan-Africanism championed by influential leaders such as Marcus Garvey, whose philosophy inspired Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and many African independence movements.
“I’m happy to have come to Jamaica. We all know the relationships that have existed between Ghana and Jamaica. Indeed, our first president, of blessed memory, had always written and spoken about Marcus Garvey and the influence he had on him,” President Mahama said.
He observed that while the historical struggle centered on liberation from colonial rule, today’s generation must confront a different challenge—building resilient economies capable of delivering opportunities and prosperity for their citizens.
“Today, all that is history. But that was the fight for liberation,” he stated.
President Mahama emphasized that the longstanding ties between Ghana and Jamaica should now serve as a platform for deeper economic cooperation, investment, trade, innovation and cultural exchange that would benefit both countries and the wider African diaspora.
“But today, we’re faced with a new fight. And that is why the relationships between us and visits like this are important,” he said.
“The battle that confronts us now is not the battle for liberation—we’re independent anyway. The battle that confronts us is how we can cooperate to increase our economic development and create prosperity for our people. And so the battle now is the battle for economic emancipation.”
The President stressed that meaningful collaboration between Africa and the Caribbean would strengthen economic resilience, create jobs and unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth while advancing the shared aspirations of people of African descent across the globe.
The Special High-Level Reparations Dialogue brought together political leaders, academics and stakeholders from Africa and the Caribbean to discuss reparatory justice, historical accountability and strategies for fostering stronger partnerships aimed at promoting inclusive development and economic transformation.
