President John Dramani Mahama has joined his fellow African Heads of State in calling for a common African position ahead of the 2025 G20 Summit to demand timely, fair, and transparent debt restructuring frameworks.

The Group of Twenty (G20) is a forum of 19 major world economies and the European Union, established to address global economic and financial issues.

This year’s G20 Summit is scheduled to take place from 22 to 23 November in Johannesburg, South Africa.

President Mahama also advocated for standardized debt transparency benchmarks across the African Union and the integration of climate adaptation and sustainable development goals into national debt strategies.

He made this call during his address at the opening of the African Union Conference on Debt in Lomé, Togo.

The three-day meeting, convened by the African Union Commission’s Department for Economic Development, Tourism, Trade, Industry, and Minerals (ETTIM), is being held under the theme: “Africa’s Public Debt Management Agenda: Restoring and Safeguarding Debt Sustainability.”

The conference brings together AU Member States, policymakers, financial experts, and key stakeholders, including representatives from Ministries of Finance, African central banks, Regional Economic Communities, African multilateral financial institutions, and civil society organizations.

President Mahama reiterated the need for the full operationalization of the African Monetary Institute and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to reduce foreign exchange demand and burdens in regional trade.

On redefining Africa’s debt narrative, President Mahama stated:

“Let us leave here with a renewed vision — a vision where debt is no longer synonymous with crisis but with capacity; where our economies are built not on extraction and aid, but on innovation, value addition, and equity; and where we act not as debtors pleading for relief, but as partners demanding reform.”

He emphasized the need to reshape Africa’s debt story.

“Ghana stands ready, shoulder to shoulder with our fellow African nations, to champion this agenda,” President Mahama affirmed.

“Let us walk this road together with courage, clarity, and commitment. Africa, united in vision and action, can overcome its debt challenges and deliver prosperity for generations of Africans yet to come.”