The Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called for a new global order where Africa and other developing regions could process their own resources and engage in fair partnerships that promote equality and mutual respect.

She made the call when she addressed the Global Gateway Forum 2025 in Brussels, Belgium yesterday.

Speaking during a panel discussion, the Vice President said true peace in the world could only be achieved when countries are able to process their own primary commodities and enter the international market on equal terms.

Vice President Opoku-Agyemang (fourth from left) with members of the panel

“It’s a question of processing your own resources, your own primary commodities, and entering the market on good terms, on equal terms, so that the real peace of the world will be realised,” she said.

The Global Gateway Forum is an initiative of the European Union that brings together leaders from across the world, including Heads of State, policymakers, and business executives, to discuss sustainable investment and development cooperation.

This year’s forum focused on building fairer and more sustainable partnerships between Europe and other regions.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang emphasised that African nations must insist on partnerships that respect their sovereignty and preserve their decision-making power.

“We think that preserving agency, protecting your sovereignty in any partnership, is very, very important, because that is where the true definition of partnership may be defined and may reside,” she stated.

She explained that the continent had, for too long, been a battleground for the ambitions of others, and it was time to move away from that situation.

“We need to move ourselves from a situation where we have been for too long a battleground for the ambitions of others,” she said.

She said “We are open to cooperation, but it is about time we redefine the basis of that cooperation, the basis of the partnership.”

The Vice President questioned the fairness of existing global arrangements that leave resource-rich nations with little control over their own wealth.

“Is it a partnership where you have no voice? Is it a partnership where you don’t even decide how much you are selling your own goods for? These are the fundamental things we think deserve world dialogue,” she stressed.

She urged developing countries to be proactive and strategic in shaping their economic futures.

According to her, “a partnership that do not give equal say to all sides is not a true partnership.“

“One of the things we need to recognise is that you cannot be at the mercy of others and expect that you will survive. Try to understand where you are and become an agent of change,” she said.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang also used the opportunity to highlight Ghana’s efforts to strengthen its local industries and improve value addition in key sectors such as agriculture, mining, and energy.

She said the government remained committed to working with genuine partners who respect Ghana’s independence and aspirations.

She reminded world leaders that real peace and progress could only be achieved when all nations have the freedom and capacity to shape their destinies and benefit fairly from their resources.

The Global Gateway Forum 2025, which opened on Wednesday, is being attended by several Heads of State, government officials, and representatives from international organisations.