Vice President, Professor Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called for fair and equal global partnerships that give every country a voice in shaping international cooperation.
Speaking at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels on Thursday, she said Ghana remains open to collaboration but will not accept partnerships that undermine its sovereignty or economic interests.
“Is it a partnership where you have no voice? Is it a partnership where you do not even decide how much you sell your own goods for? These are fundamental issues that deserve global dialogue,” she told the gathering of world leaders and development partners.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang urged African nations to take advantage of the ongoing shift in global power dynamics to build stronger, self-reliant economies. She said the continent must move beyond being a battleground for other nations’ ambitions by processing its own raw materials and trading on equal terms.
“We need to move ourselves from a situation where we have been for too long a battleground for the ambitions of others. It is about processing our own resources and entering the market on equal terms so that the real peace of the world can be realized,” she said.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who delivered the keynote address at the forum’s opening, also emphasized the importance of genuine partnerships built on respect, shared interests, and long-term commitment. She noted that the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative has already mobilized more than €306 billion in investments, surpassing its initial target of €300 billion by 2027.
The two-day Global Gateway Forum brings together leaders from the European Union and around the world to explore investment opportunities, debate global challenges, and forge new alliances aimed at advancing connectivity, sustainable development, and inclusive growth.
