He stressed the importance of Africa taking the lead in defining its development priorities, arguing that true partnerships are essential for sustainable progress.

President Akufo-Addo, speaking at the 5th anniversary celebration of the Council on Foreign Rela­tions (CFR) Ghana, held in Accra last Friday, highlighted that the cur­rent development framework often sidelined local communities and civil society organisations, leading to gaps in achieving the intended development outcomes.

He said “development cooper­ation should be based on genuine partnerships that recognise the mu­tual interests and shared responsi­bilities of all stakeholders.”

This year’s event was on the theme: ‘The Limits of the Cur­rent Development Co-operation Framework for Africa’s Transfor­mation.’

It was attended by members of the diplomatic corp, both current and past diplomats, internation­al relation experts, current and former ministers of state and Members of Parliament.

President Akufo-Addo said there was the need for mutual account­ability which was fundamental for effective development cooperation.

He called for a transparent mon­itoring and evaluation mechanisms to track progress and ensure that development interventions were delivering tangible outcomes, em­phasising that “by promoting mu­tual accountability, we can heighten the effectiveness and impact of development cooperation.”

The President Akufo-Addo while acknowledging that Africa had made significant progress in sectors such as agriculture, edu­cation, health, and infrastructure with assistance from international partners, he said there still remain significant challenges such as poverty, inequality, and underdevel­oped infrastructure that continued to plague the continent.

To this end, he cited the depen­dency on external aid as a major limitation of the current develop­ment cooperation framework, ar­guing that it undermines domestic ownership and self-reliance.

“Overreliance on aid weakens the capacity of African govern­ments to generate and mobilise domestic resources, ultimately hin­dering sustainable development,” President said.

President Akufo-Addo called for a shift towards economic self-suf­ficiency, emphasising the need to stimulate domestic resource mobil­isation, nurture entrepreneurship, and create an enabling environ­ment for indigenous private sector investment.

He emphasised the transfor­mative potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement in driving Africa’s economic integration and industrialisation.

Furthermore, President Akufo-Addo noted that the digital revolution presented opportuni­ties for accelerating development, improving service delivery, and enhancing economic competitive­ness in Africa.

He noted that these opportu­nities also came with challenges that must be addressed to ensure that the benefits of technology are equitably distributed.

“To harness the promise of technology, we have to invest in digital infrastructure through the expansion of broadband connec­tivity, improving access to informa­tion and communication technol­ogies (ICT), and developing digital skills,” the President said.