President John Dramani Mahama and French President Emmanuel Macron have held bilateral talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris, with discussions focusing on key areas of cooperation including the construction of the Accra-Kumasi expressway, artificial intelligence development and agricultural partnerships to boost food security.
The meeting, held on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, as part of President Mahama’s one-day official visit to France, also covered issues relating to health, infrastructure, regional security and Ghana’s economic recovery.
The talks opened on a warm note as President Macron thanked President Mahama for travelling to Lyon to co-chair the One Health Summit.
He described the Accra Reset Initiative championed by the Ghanaian President as very important and noted that it was referenced during the summit.
In a major announcement, President Macron confirmed that Ghana has been selected as the first beneficiary of France’s National Health Platform, a health compact which President Mahama welcomed with gratitude.
President Mahama said he was honoured to have been invited to co-chair the summit and acknowledged its importance to the World Health Organisation.
He expressed satisfaction that the Accra Reset Initiative had produced concrete deliverables that could be reviewed and built upon.
The two leaders also discussed cooperation in agriculture to ensure food security and promote year-round farming, as well as support for maternal health, AI development and the construction of the Accra-Kumasi expressway.
They further explored ways to build on years of French development support through the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
President Mahama used the occasion to thank France and China for their support in Ghana’s debt restructuring and said the Ghanaian economy has bounced back strongly, citing positive economic indicators.
Both leaders reaffirmed the strong bilateral relationship between Ghana and France, underpinned by shared commitments to democracy, the rules-based international order, and peace and security.
Regional and global security issues also featured prominently in the discussions.
SSOURCE: Mubarak Yakubu
