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.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
