Mahama warns foreign powers against treating Africa as a ‘chessboard’

President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned African leaders against allowing foreign powers to dictate the continent's political, economic and security agendas. Addressing the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, Mahama argued that external nations from across the globe are vying for strategic influence and access to Africa's resources.

He emphasized the need for African countries to assert greater control over their destinies, instead of becoming pawns on a chessboard for competing foreign interests. Mahama's warning comes as he stressed that Africa must remain an active participant in determining its own path, rather than allowing others to write its future. He cautioned that failure to take such proactive steps could leave the continent vulnerable to the decisions of others, who may not have Africa's best interests at heart.