President John Dramani Mahama, on Thursday, August 20, 2025, co-chaired the second plenary session on “Economy: Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa” at the ongoing 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama, Japan.
He shared the stage with former Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, with contributions from Kenyan President William Ruto, Togo’s Faure Gnassingbé, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, and UN Under-Secretary-General Cristina Duarte.
In his closing remarks, Mahama said TICAD-9 comes at a moment of shifting global dynamics, noting that even the world’s largest economy has become “more insular and transactional” in its international relations.
He urged African nations to embrace reforms and stability to position themselves as credible destinations for investment.
“Africa is open for business. We wish to partner with any nation on a win-win basis. But let’s not kid ourselves—trade and investments will not come to Africa because we wish for it,” Mahama stressed.
He added that the continent must “silence the guns, reform economies for stability, strengthen governance, and make public service accountable and corruption-free” to unlock growth and global partnerships.
Meanwhile, Ghana and Japan have signalled a new push to deepen economic cooperation and accelerate priority infrastructure projects during a bilateral meeting between President John Dramani Mahama and the Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan on the sidelines of TICAD 9 in Yokohama.
President Mahama acknowledged Ghana’s central role in Japan’s cocoa supply, noting that Ghana accounts for about 70% of Japan’s cocoa imports.
He encouraged Japanese firms to expand investments in Ghana’s cocoa value chain, including a public–private partnership with the Cocoa Processing Company to revamp the plant and boost value addition.
The President also highlighted upcoming milestones in Ghana–Japan relations, including the centenary of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi’s arrival in Ghana and the 50th anniversary of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) in 2027—anniversaries he previously discussed with H.E. Hiroshi Yoshimoto, Japan’s Ambassador to Ghana.
On infrastructure, President Mahama stressed the strategic importance of the Volivo Bridge over the Volta River, a critical component of Ghana’s Eastern Corridor that links Accra and Tema to the north and onward to Burkina Faso and Niger.
He emphasised the bridge’s role in moving agricultural produce such as yams and maize from northern Ghana to markets in the south.
