President John Dramani Mahama, on Thursday, February 5, 2026, addressed Zambia’s National Assembly during his three-day state visit to the Southern African nation.

In his speech, he outlined a bold vision for African economic transformation, sovereignty, governance reforms and deeper Ghana-Zambia cooperation.

The president, who was accompanied by Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, could not hide his admiration for his wife when acknowledging dignitaries before beginning his address.

Lordina, elegantly dressed in African print attire, sat comfortably as she watched her husband deliver his speech.

When it came time to recognize her, President Mahama affectionately referred to his wife as his “domestic commander-in-chief.”

FULL TEXT: President John Mahama's speech at the National Assembly of Zambia

“I am quite familiar with the traditions of the house and having been president, I am quite used to heckling, so I won’t have a problem. Honorable Speaker, honorable members of parliament, honourable ministers of state, senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me acknowledge and introduce my wife seated to my left, otherwise known as my domestic commanders-in-chief.”

He continued by expressing his deep honor at addressing the august house and conveyed warm fraternal greetings from the government and people of Ghana.

In a speech rich with Pan-African symbolism, President Mahama traced the historic bonds between Ghana and Zambia back to the era of Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Kenneth Kaunda, describing their shared liberation struggle as the foundation of enduring bilateral ties.

He declared that Africa now faces a “pandemic of unfulfilled potential,” marked by youth unemployment, fragile health systems, and economies that extract wealth without building capacity.

Referencing his “Accra Reset Initiative,” Mahama called for Africa to overcome what he termed “triple dependency”: reliance on external security actors, donors for social systems, and foreign buyers of raw minerals.

The Ghanaian leader highlighted reforms under his Reset Agenda, including reducing government size, digitalizing public services, restructuring debt, and stabilizing the economy.

He announced that Ghana’s inflation had dropped from 23.4% in late 2024 to 3.8% in January 2026, while the cedi appreciated by 32% in 2025.

On natural resources, Mahama stressed African sovereignty, citing Ghana’s establishment of a Gold Board to regulate exports and increase local value addition. He also advocated repatriating a portion of Africa’s foreign reserves to finance continental development.



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