Ghana Advocates New Approach to Global Development at OECD Paris Conference

Ghana made a strong case for reforming global development cooperation at a high-level OECD conference in Paris, where Nana Oye Bampoe Addo represented President John Dramani Mahama and presented the vision behind the Accra Reset initiative.

Serving as Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration) at the Office of the President and Presidential Advisory Liaison to the Accra Reset Secretariat, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo addressed more than 250 international development leaders gathered at the OECD headquarters.

The event was hosted by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Secretary-General Mathias Cormann.

President Mahama, co-founder of the Accra Reset and African Union Champion for Financial Institutions, Reparations, and Gender and Development, was unable to attend because of an earlier state commitment.

Concerns Over Declining Global Aid

In her keynote address, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo highlighted the sharp decline in international aid flows. She noted that Official Development Assistance from Development Assistance Committee member countries fell by 23.1 percent in 2025 — the largest annual drop ever recorded.

According to her remarks, bilateral aid to sub-Saharan Africa decreased by more than 26 percent, while humanitarian assistance dropped by almost 36 percent. She also pointed out that African governments now spend over 80 billion dollars annually servicing debt, compared to roughly 95 billion dollars received in external inflows.

She described the Accra Reset as Africa’s sovereign response to these growing economic pressures.

The Accra Reset Agenda

The Accra Reset is built around a Presidential Council made up of sitting Heads of State from Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is also supported by former world leaders, including Olusegun Obasanjo, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Jakaya Kikwete, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Helen Clark, and Gro Harlem Brundtland.

Three major implementation areas were highlighted during the presentation:

• Health Reform: Ghana introduced plans to strengthen global health systems through new investment mechanisms and governance reforms.
• Economic Transformation: The initiative proposed Sovereign Prosperity Spheres to promote cross-border industrial cooperation and better management of critical mineral resources such as gold and cobalt.
• Institutional Capacity: New programmes including the Sankoree Institute of Global Negotiators and the Masterkey Global Skills Digital Passport aim to expand employment opportunities, particularly for women.

Ghana Calls for Fairer Partnerships

The Accra Reset team urged the OECD to ensure that developing countries are treated as equal partners in shaping future development strategies rather than simply being consulted.

Among the requests presented were:

• Greater inclusion of Global South initiatives in OECD reports
• Stronger engagement with sovereign delivery systems
• A more balanced understanding of “mutual benefit” in international partnerships

Bilateral Engagements in Paris

Following the conference, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo and Ghana’s Ambassador to France, Mavis Ama Frimpong, held discussions with Pilar Garrido on strengthening cooperation between the OECD and the Accra Reset initiative.

Visit to Ghana Embassy

On the second day of her visit, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo met staff at the Ghanaian Embassy in Paris, where embassy officials briefed her on ongoing diplomatic and economic initiatives.

She also updated staff on the objectives of the Accra Reset and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to restoring Ghana’s development agenda under President Mahama’s leadership.

About the Accra Reset

The Accra Reset is a Head-of-State-led initiative championed by President Mahama to transform how international development cooperation operates. The platform seeks to promote sovereign capacity building, institutional reform, and stronger accountability in partnerships between the Global South and international development actors.