NewsMahama tells FT Africa Summit Ghana is "friends to all, enemies to none"
Opening the Financial Times Africa Summit in London, President John Dramani Mahama set out a non-aligned Ghana that welcomes every investor but wants more of its gold, cocoa and minerals processed at home.
President John Dramani Mahama opened the 13th Financial Times Africa Summit on 21 October with a keynote interview at The Landmark hotel in London. The summit runs from 21 to 22 October.
Asked by the FT moderator about the contest between the United States, Europe, China and Russia for influence in Africa, the President said Ghana's position was "friends to all, enemies to none".
An old policy
Non-alignment means not joining any bloc. Ghana was one of the five countries that started the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade in 1961, with India, Egypt, Yugoslavia and Indonesia. Kwame Nkrumah sat with Jawaharlal Nehru, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Josip Broz Tito and Sukarno. In August 2026, Mr Mahama returned to Belgrade for the movement's 65th anniversary.
Getting paid
The President tied that openness to a fair return for Ghana. He said about 70 per cent of Ghana's gold is now refined locally and that he wants to reach 100 per cent. He said at least half of the country's cocoa should be processed at home. He also pointed to a ban, from 2030, on exporting raw lithium, manganese, bauxite and gold.
That ban is not yet law. JoyNews Research reported on 29 September that the relevant section of the draft mining bill needs separate regulations and sets no deadline. Reuters reported on 9 October that Ghana plans to replace the draft bill. Mr Mahama's term ends in January 2029, before the ban would take effect.
Moscow next
Mr Mahama said he would attend the third Russia-Africa summit in Moscow on 28 and 29 October and ask President Vladimir Putin for a ceasefire in the war Russia began by invading Ukraine in February 2022. He added "if I can", stopping short of a promise.
Security
On the Sahel, where Russia now has a security presence in some countries, Reuters reported him saying: "anybody who is committed to the fight against terrorism is welcome." Ghana also works with the UK, Germany, France and the United States on intelligence and training. He said West Africa's standby force still cannot deploy because there is no UN resolution to fund it.
A message to Western investors
Mr Mahama described Western investors as "skittish" when it comes to Africa. His point was about speed: while some investors are still checking, others are already arriving.
ChannelOne TV's description of its clip says the President spoke "in Accra". The summit and the interview were in London.
It is like the trotro mate who calls everybody boss: anybody can enter the car, but everybody pays the fare. Being on nobody's team lets Ghana sit at everybody's table. The 2030 minerals ban is still a promise, and it falls after his term ends, so it is one to keep checking.
- FT Live: FT Africa Summit, 21-22 Oct 2026, The Landmark London
- ChannelOne TV: "Ghana Open to Investors From US, EU, Russia and Beyond", FT stage feed (21 Oct 2026)
- Citi Newsroom, GNA and MyJoyOnline: summit previews and Mahama keynote (Oct 2026)
- MyJoyOnline, Adom and Citi Newsroom: non-alignment and Putin ceasefire remarks (21 Oct 2026)
- Reuters via TimesLIVE, Graphic Online and MyJoyOnline: gold, cocoa, 2030 minerals ban, Sahel and standby force
- MyJoyOnline (JoyNews Research): 2030 ban not yet in law (29 Sep 2026)
- Reuters: Ghana to replace its draft mining bill (9 Oct 2026)
- GNA and Graphic Online: Mahama in Belgrade for NAM's 65th anniversary (Aug 2026)
- TASS and AU-Russia joint statement: third Russia-Africa summit, Moscow
- Asaase Radio and GhanaMMA: security partnerships with the UK, Germany, France and the US
Every factual line in this story is checked against at least two independent sources, unless the text says it comes from one report.