President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana and French President Emmanuel Macron held extensive bilateral talks at the Élysée Palace on Thursday, discussing security cooperation, economic development, and regional stability on the sidelines of the 2025 Paris Peace Forum.

The meeting opened on a solemn note, with President Macron offering condolences for the recent passing of Ghana’s former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings.

Both leaders praised the Paris Peace Initiative and the strengthening of relations between Ghana and France. A key focus of the talks was Ghana’s request for French assistance in combating piracy in its territorial waters. President Mahama sought support to protect Ghana’s maritime integrity from increasing piratical threats in the Gulf of Guinea.

The two leaders also discussed a French concessionary loan for Ghana’s health sector that is awaiting parliamentary approval. President Mahama asked his French counterpart to use his influence with the International Monetary Fund to secure Ghana’s access to the facility from the French Development Bank, noting Ghana’s improved debt-to-GDP ratio.

President Mahama, in his capacity as the African Union (AU) Champion of African Financial Institutions, advocated for collaboration to renegotiate loan agreements with lower interest rates for infrastructure projects.

He emphasised Ghana’s role as home to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat and the need for enhanced road infrastructure to facilitate intra-African trade.

The Mahama highlighted Ghana’s ambitious one-million-coders programme, which has already registered 200,000 students. He requested French support to train additional French language teachers to improve language education in Ghanaian schools.

President Macron noted several upcoming opportunities for collaboration, including the VivaTech Summit in Nairobi in May 2026, where Ghana could showcase its digital innovation capabilities, the African Union-European Union summit in Angola, and the June 2026 G7 summit, where France would advocate for increased support for Ghana.

President Mahama raised the subject of reparations for slavery, which Ghana is currently championing. President Macron pledged support for the initiative, noting that France had criminalised slavery, while cautioning that the reparations discussion should acknowledge the involvement of various actors beyond Western powers.

The leaders discussed the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel region, particularly terrorist incursions in Mali and other countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

President Macron commended President Mahama’s leadership in the subregion, and Ghana’s economic reforms, pledging continued French support for Ghana’s development agenda.

President John Dramani Mahama has announced that, Ghana will become the first African country to make a financial contribution to the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) — a move that underscores the country’s commitment to promoting press freedom, transparency, and the integrity of information.

Announcing the decision at the Paris Peace Forum, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama said the contribution demonstrates Ghana’s conviction that a free and independent media is vital to the survival of democracy and good governance.

The President emphasized that the contribution is not only symbolic but represents Ghana’s determination to take tangible action in defending truth, sustaining trust, and supporting independent journalism worldwide.

President Mahama’s announcement comes amid renewed global efforts to bolster independent media, with the IFPIM targeting €130 million between 2026 and 2028 to support journalism that serves the public interest.

President Mahama noted that the fight against misinformation and disinformation has become one of the defining challenges of the modern era, warning that falsehoods are increasingly shaping elections, distorting public health responses, and undermining global efforts against climate change.

“Disinformation is not an abstract issue,” he cautioned. “It fuels conflict, erodes public confidence in science and governance, and weakens democracy itself.”

He also called on other nations to follow Ghana’s example in treating the defense of truth as a shared global responsibility, mentioned that, the world must invest in truth as deliberately as it invests in infrastructure, energy, or defense.

By: Sarah Adwoa Akuetteh:

The Africa Extractives Media Fellowship (AEMF) was officially launched on Monday, October 28, 2025, at the Australian High Commission in Accra, marking a significant step toward strengthening journalism in Africa’s extractive sector.

Speaking at the launch, Program Lead Kwakye Afreh-Nuamah revealed that the six-month fully in-person fellowship, spearheaded by NewsWire Africa, attracted over 300 applications from journalists across Ghana.

He noted that the initiative aims to equip 30 selected participants 60 percent of whom are women with practical skills in data-driven reporting, sustainability, and gender-sensitive journalism.

According to Mr. Afreh-Nuamah, the fellowship seeks to nurture “a new generation of African journalists equipped to shape the continent’s extractive narrative with courage, accuracy, and empathy.”

A Deputy Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, who graced the event, commended the program as a model of international collaboration and national development.

She emphasized that government remains committed to ensuring that Ghana’s extractive resources benefit both current and future generations, highlighting transparency, inclusion, and youth empowerment as critical pillars of democratic growth.

The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Berenice Owen-Jones, underscored the importance of media in promoting accountability and peace. “A responsive and inclusive media does more than inform it holds power to account and fosters peace through understanding,” she said. She also noted that over 500 Ghanaians have benefited from Australian Government scholarships, underscoring the strong educational and professional ties between both nations.

Also in attendance was the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, who urged journalists to prioritize ethical reporting, gender inclusion, and accountability in their coverage of Africa’s extractive industries.

The AEMF, through hands-on training, mentorship, and field exposure, is expected to bridge the knowledge gap in extractive sector reporting, fostering transparency and amplifying the voices of communities impacted by resource activities.