Pat Stevens/
African leaders have turned to Ghana for reassurance as President John Dramani Mahama is endorsed to become the next chair of the African Union, betting that his experience and diplomatic style can help stabilise a continent buffeted by coups, conflicts and economic strain.
Mahama, who is due to assume the rotating chairmanship in 2027 when it passes to West Africa, emerges as a consensus choice at a time when the authority and cohesion of continental institutions are under pressure.
According to The Africa Report, his selection reflects a belief among African leaders that Ghana’s long-standing reputation for moderation and dialogue offers a pathway through one of the AU’s most fractured moments in recent history.
The endorsement followed a unanimous recommendation by the council of ministers of the Economic Community of West African States, positioning Mahama as chairperson-in-waiting once the tenure of Angola’s President João Lourenço ends.
ECOWAS officials cited Ghana’s regional contributions and international standing, with the bloc’s commission president, Omar Touray, describing Mahama as competent and deserving of collective support.
Mahama will become the 23rd chair of the African Union and only the second Ghanaian leader to hold the post, after John Agyekum Kufuor, who led the body between 2007 and 2008.
His elevation comes against a backdrop of democratic reversals in West and Central Africa, ongoing war in Sudan, persistent insecurity in the Sahel and Horn of Africa, and widening debt and climate vulnerabilities across the continent.
Supporters point to Mahama’s record as both vice president and president, as well as his deep familiarity with multilateral diplomacy.
Analysts in Accra note his extensive engagement with major global powers, including China, the United States, the European Union and Russia, as evidence of an ability to navigate intensifying geopolitical competition in Africa.
Ghana’s foreign policy tradition, rooted in consensus-building rather than confrontation, is also seen as an asset as the AU and ECOWAS seek to rebuild engagement with suspended or estranged member states such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Ghana’s credibility within African and global institutions has been shaped by decades of participation in peacekeeping operations under the United Nations and African Union, including missions in Liberia and Lebanon.
The country’s diplomatic profile was further reinforced when former president Jerry John Rawlings served as the AU High Representative for Somalia, a role that underscored Ghana’s positioning as a mediator in complex conflicts.
Mahama already holds several African Union responsibilities, covering reparatory justice, African financial institutions, and gender and development. These portfolios align with some of the bloc’s most urgent priorities, including calls for debt relief, climate finance and reform of global governance structures to better reflect African interests.
Security analysts caution, however, that symbolism alone will not resolve the leadership deficit confronting the continent.
ECOWAS has struggled to assert authority following successive military takeovers, and the AU continues to face criticism over its limited leverage in active conflicts.
Even so, observers argue that Mahama’s personal relationships, particularly in the Sahel, could reopen diplomatic channels that have been strained by sanctions and isolation.
While the AU chairmanship carries limited executive power, it remains a critical platform for agenda-setting and persuasion.
As Africa confronts overlapping political, security and economic crises, Mahama’s impending elevation underscores a broader calculation by its leaders that Ghana’s steady hand may once again help hold the continental project together.
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