President John Dramani Mahama has called on West African leaders to adopt a pragmatic, outcome-driven approach to rebuilding trust, security, and development across the sub-region, stressing that citizens will ultimately judge leaders by tangible improvements in their daily lives.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of a two-day Consultative Conference in Accra, attended by delegations from 10 other countries, President Mahama said the region stood at a critical crossroads that required practical cooperation rather than declarations without follow-through.
“Our citizens will judge our success not by the strength of our declarations, but by the tangible improvements they experience in their daily lives,” the President said, urging leaders to focus on implementation, measurable outcomes, and sustained action.
The conference was convened against the backdrop of growing security, political and economic challenges in the sub-region, including terrorism, violent extremism, and declining trust among neighbouring states.
President Mahama noted that these threats could not be addressed in isolation.
He emphasized that lasting peace and security could not be achieved through force alone, arguing that development remained the foundation of long-term stability.
“Development is the cornerstone of lasting stability,” he said, adding that education, jobs, infrastructure and inclusive growth reduce the vulnerabilities that fuel insecurity.
According to the President, when young people have access to opportunity and communities experience responsive governance, trust in public institutions is restored and social cohesion strengthened.
President Mahama also stressed the importance of leadership responsibility, calling on governments to take full ownership of their policy choices.
“We must take full ownership of our policy direction and our strategic choices, while ensuring that national institutions remain the primary engines of implementation,” he stated.
He explained that regional frameworks should support, not replace, national responsibility and that rebuilding trust among states would require visible progress and mutual respect.
During the conference, participants considered four key documents aimed at strengthening sub-regional cooperation: a framework on preventive approaches to peace and security; a strategy for sustaining economic integration and trade; a roadmap for building social resilience; and proposals to improve institutional coordination among states.
President Mahama said the documents were designed to be mutually reinforcing rather than competing priorities, integrating security, development, governance and social cohesion into a single comprehensive approach.
He noted that while existing regional mechanisms remained relevant, they needed to be strengthened, better coordinated and adapted to current realities to deliver real benefits to citizens.
The President expressed hope that the consensus reached in Accra would help rebuild confidence among sub-regional partners and attract broader cooperation, including from countries not present at the meeting.
President Mahama called on leaders to choose unity over fragmentation and preventive action over reaction, declaring the Accra meeting “a first step and a turning point” toward stability, resilience and shared prosperity in West Africa.
