President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday co-chaired the second plenary session on the economy at the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9) in Yokohama, Japan.

The session, themed “Economy: Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa,” was jointly chaired by Mr. Mahama and former Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

It also featured interventions from Kenyan President William Ruto, Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbé, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, and UN Under-Secretary General Cristina Duarte.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Mahama noted that the conference was taking place amid a shifting global order.

He observed that the world’s largest economy, which traditionally drives global trade and investment, has become increasingly inward-looking and transactional.

Despite these challenges, he urged African leaders to take responsibility for positioning the continent as a competitive destination for trade and investment.

“Africa is open for business. We wish to partner with any nation in the world on a win-win basis.

But let’s not kid ourselves—trade and investments will not come to Africa simply because we desire them,” Mr. Mahama said.

He stressed that African nations must implement critical reforms to attract and retain global investors.

“That is why we must silence the guns and stop the fighting. That is why we must reform our economies to make them stable and predictable.

This is why we must strengthen governance, ensure accountability in public service, and fight corruption,” he emphasised.

Mr. Mahama’s remarks capped a session that underscored the importance of innovation, stability, and partnership in Africa’s economic transformation.