Mahama launches ‘Accra Reset’ at 80th UNGA, calls for overhaul of global development systems

At the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, President John Dramani Mahama unveiled the ‘Accra Reset’, a bold new global development framework designed to transform how international financing and partnerships are structured in the face of mounting global challenges.

Launched during a high-level side event alongside a coalition of global leaders, the ‘Accra Reset’ seeks to rethink the existing development architecture, which President Mahama described as increasingly ineffective.

In his address, he cited the combined pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, spiralling debt burdens, and intensifying climate shocks that now threaten over 700 million people with hunger.

“The world is only five years from 2030,” said President Mahama, who serves as the African Union Champion for African Financial Institutions.

“The issue isn’t just about replacing the SDGs, it’s about building institutions and financing systems that actually work. Workability is the name of the game.”

A New Architecture for Development

The Accra Reset is anchored in three core principles: sovereignty, workability, and shared value. Mahama identified the health sector as the starting point for the initiative, using it as a proof of concept for transitioning from aid dependency to health sovereignty.

This builds on outcomes from the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit, held in Accra in August 2025.

To drive action, the initiative introduces the Club of Accra a coalition that will pilot innovative financing solutions and establish “geostrategic dealrooms” focused on health, climate resilience, food security, and job creation.

Mahama drew parallels between the current moment and the 2001 Monterrey Consensus, which led to the creation of global health platforms such as GAVI and the Global Fund.

He called for a similarly ambitious reimagining of multilateralism one that goes beyond aspirations and delivers sustainable value.

Global Governance and Expert Guidance

A key feature of the Accra Reset is the establishment of a Global Presidential Council, made up of leaders from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and other regions. The council will provide political leadership and ensure accountability as the initiative is rolled out.

Additionally, a Global College of Advisors comprising top-tier experts in health, finance, innovation, and business will guide pilot projects and co-design new financing mechanisms to support sovereign development agendas.

Broad-Based Support from Global Leaders

The Accra Reset received strong endorsements from across the global political and institutional spectrum:

• Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, co-convenor of the initiative and Co-Patron of AfroChampions, urged a break from aid dependency and the forging of a new era of global solidarity.
• Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed the Reset as “a plan for the future,” especially in efforts to build resilient, sovereign health systems.
• A speech delivered on behalf of Kenyan President William Ruto stressed the need for financing that meets the scale of national ambitions, particularly in achieving universal health coverage.
• Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley pledged to align skills development and industrial policy to support pharmaceutical manufacturing across the Global South.
• Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Access Bank, committed private sector leadership and capital to support the Reset’s ambitions.

Institutional leaders such as Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organisation and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Trade Organization also voiced their support, calling for the global system to be “rewired” to reflect current realities and future risks.

A Reset for a World Off Track

With the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approaching and fewer than half of the 169 targets on course, the Accra Reset is being positioned as a pragmatic, scalable, and politically backed alternative to business-as-usual.

Mahama closed his remarks by calling for collective urgency:

“We don’t need more declarations we need design. We need models that don’t just aspire to equality but deliver shared prosperity.”

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