Africa faces pandemic of unfulfilled potential – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has warned that Africa is grappling with a deep crisis of wasted talent, urging leaders to confront what he described as a “pandemic of unfulfilled potential.”

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mahama said millions of young Africans remain locked out of opportunity despite the continent’s vast resources and growing population.

“Today, we face a different pandemic — a pandemic of unfulfilled potential. Millions of young people have no jobs,” he told the gathering of global leaders, policymakers and development partners.

He argued that Africa’s challenges are rooted in structural dependency, which he described as a dangerous cycle undermining sovereignty and long-term development.

“We depend on others for our security choices, donors for our health and education systems, and we export critical minerals while capturing almost none of their value,” Mahama said. “This isn’t sovereignty. It’s a trap, and it’s getting worse.”

Mahama warned that shrinking global humanitarian assistance and cuts to overseas development funding have exposed Africa’s vulnerability, particularly as global politics become more unpredictable. Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted that Africa was the last continent to receive vaccines.

“The COVID experience was a wake-up call,” he said, stressing that resilience alone cannot substitute for strong systems.

According to the President, Africa must now focus on building its own capacity to act. “Crisis creates clarity,” he said. “The clarity is this: we must build our own capacity to act.”

He questioned why global mobilisation was possible to fight disease but remains elusive when it comes to poverty and dependency.

“If we could mobilise the world to fight disease, why can’t we mobilise to fight poverty and the systems that lock brilliant young Africans out of the future?” he asked.

Mahama outlined Ghana’s approach as an example of what is possible with disciplined leadership. “In Ghana, we’re proving something important — that execution beats excuses,” he said, citing debt restructuring, reduced government spending, digitisation of public services and youth skills training.

He cautioned, however, that no single country can succeed in isolation.

“Ghana’s success alone is not enough,” Mahama said. “We must knit together the patchwork of success stories across Africa.”

Central to his message was the Accra Reset Initiative, which he described as a practical blueprint rather than rhetoric.

The initiative prioritises skills development, regional industrialisation, collective bargaining on critical minerals and local production of vaccines, medicines and technology. “If we don’t make it ourselves, we will always be dependent on someone who does,” he warned.

Mahama also challenged African leaders to negotiate collectively on trade, climate finance and natural resources.

“When we bargain separately, we’re weak. When we negotiate together, we can be formidable,” he said, adding that accountability at home is essential to earning global trust.

He ended with a call to action directed at both African and global leaders.

“Our young people are brilliant. They’re hungry. And they’re running out of patience,” Mahama said.

“The question is not whether the world needs this, but whether we have the courage to build it.”