President John Dramani Mahama has left Accra for New York to participate in the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where he is expected to lead Ghana’s engagements on global development, reparatory justice, investment and other international issues.
President Mahama departed Accra on Saturday, September 19, 2026, for a programme that will include two high-level side events, Ghana’s participation in the General Debate and a series of meetings with world leaders, United Nations officials and international business executives.
According to a statement issued by the Presidency Communications on Saturday, the President’s engagements will focus on strengthening international partnerships, advancing Ghana’s development priorities and promoting investment.
The 81st UN General Assembly is being held under the theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All.” The high-level segment, scheduled for September 22 to 28, will bring heads of state and government and other senior representatives together in New York to deliberate on pressing global challenges and the future of multilateral cooperation.
On Monday, September 21, President Mahama is scheduled to host a high-level event on the Accra Reset, titled “Full Circle: Making Global Development Work Again.”
The event will examine ways of reshaping global development cooperation to make it more responsive to the needs of countries in Africa and the wider Global South.
The Accra Reset grew out of Ghana’s advocacy for greater national ownership and sovereignty in health and development. It has subsequently developed into a wider call for changes to the structures and approaches through which international development assistance is organised and delivered.
The initiative was first presented at the 2025 UN General Assembly and has since featured in international policy discussions in Davos and Addis Ababa.
President Mahama will also host a second high-level side event on Wednesday, September 23, focusing on the next phase of Ghana’s campaign for reparatory justice.
The event, titled “From Commitments to Action on Reparatory Justice: Advancing International Cooperation for the Return and Restitution of Cultural Properties and Heritage,” will explore practical steps for turning international commitments on reparatory justice into action.
Particular attention will be given to international cooperation on the return and restitution of cultural properties and heritage connected to Africa’s history.
Ghana’s advocacy on reparatory justice received a major boost in March 2026 when the United Nations adopted a resolution recognising the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement as the “gravest crime against humanity.” The resolution received the support of 123 Member States, with Ghana among the countries that played a prominent role in advancing the initiative.
The New York event will build on efforts to move the reparatory justice conversation beyond recognition towards concrete measures on reparations, restitution and historical justice.
This follows a high-level consultative conference held in Accra in June, which produced the Accra Next Steps Commitments on Reparatory Justice. The commitments provide a framework for pursuing practical measures following the adoption of the UN resolution.
Beyond the two side events, President Mahama is expected to deliver Ghana’s national statement during the UN General Debate on Thursday, September 24.
His wider programme will include engagements with fellow heads of state and government, the UN Secretary-General and senior representatives of multinational companies.
The President is also scheduled to ring the NASDAQ Closing Bell and take part in a US–Ghana Presidential Roundtable organised by the US-Africa Chamber of Commerce as part of efforts to deepen economic ties and attract investment.
He will further address the Council on Foreign Relations and participate in the Ocean Panel Leaders’ Meeting.
President Mahama is expected to end his New York programme on Friday, September 25, with a Town Hall meeting with members of the Ghanaian community. The engagement is expected to provide an opportunity for the President to discuss his government’s development agenda and update Ghanaians abroad on his vision for the country.
The President is accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, other Cabinet Ministers, senior officials from the Presidency and other government officials.
Story by:
Hussein Habibata Maltiti
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