Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has delivered a historic address at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, formally announcing the commencement of the Accra Reset’s interim Secretariat in Ghana. He also celebrated President John Dramani Mahama’s leadership in redefining global development cooperation for the Global South.
Representing President Mahama—who leads the Accra Reset initiative—Obasanjo told world leaders that the platform has expanded its Circle of Leaders to include more than 24 former Heads of State and prominent figures from international organisations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Conveying Mahama’s appreciation, Obasanjo praised South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for steering the G20’s current cycle with “clarity, courage, and a deep commitment to justice.” President Mahama, who also serves as the African Union’s Champion for Reparations, extended special greetings through the former Nigerian leader.
Obasanjo described the Accra Reset as a bold rethinking of global development, shifting away from decades of dependence created by traditional aid and loan systems. He argued that sustainable progress requires rebuilding economies around trade and investment rather than external assistance.
According to him, the initiative seeks to establish a development model that is “country-driven, regionally anchored, and globally aligned,” marking a break from top-down approaches that have long shaped relations between the Global North and Global South.
The establishment of the interim Secretariat in Accra marks the start of a new chapter for the initiative, which President Mahama envisions as a platform for ensuring that global reforms are “co-created with fairness, not inherited from history.”
A High-Level Panel is being assembled to produce a landmark report on restructuring global governance. The report will be presented to a commissioning body comprising leaders from both the Global North and Global South.
Obasanjo commended South Africa’s G20 Presidency for prioritising themes that mirror the Accra Reset’s objectives—such as reforming the global financial system, enhancing global health security, ensuring fair technology partnerships, and strengthening Global South representation in decision-making.
He affirmed that the Accra Reset is ready to collaborate closely with the G20, describing it as “the connective tissue linking public, private, and civil sectors across the Global South.”
The initiative ultimately seeks to shift development cooperation from vague aspirations to practical business models capable of delivering lasting change—reflecting President Mahama’s results-driven approach to economic transformation.