President John Dramani Mahama has emphasized that Africa’s continental free trade initiative cannot succeed unless African countries strengthen bilateral economic relations alongside it.
President Mahama, speaking during bilateral talks with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, said that Ghana and Zambia face similar economic challenges and are following parallel paths in implementing fiscal reforms and debt restructuring.
“There’s a lot we can learn from each other and experiences we can share,” he noted.
The discussions covered key sectors including mining and agriculture. Mr. Mahama highlighted shared challenges in artisanal and small-scale mining as well as issues with large multinational mining companies. Agricultural production and marketing were also identified as areas for collaboration between the two countries.
On continental economic integration, Mahama said: “We are happy that the AU moved on the issue of continental free trade, but we cannot develop continental free trade in a vacuum unless we develop bilateral relations that identify what products we can exchange and create the conditions for those exchanges.”
He stressed the importance of moving beyond political dialogue. “Even though we have the Permanent Joint Commission, we must enhance the relationship to a new level. This will allow us to share best practices, maintain consistent dialogue, and gain direct experience in all sectors,” Mahama explained.
The President concluded that strengthening bilateral economic relations is essential to complement continental initiatives and accelerate economic consolidation across Africa. “We have to go beyond political dialogue and focus on economic partnerships between our two countries,” he said.
