Accra, Ghana – 5 August 2025 – The APRM Continental Secretariat conducted a mission to Accra, Ghana, from 26 July 26 to 5 August 2025, to update the Targeted Review Report on “Corporate Governance as a Catalyst for the Effective Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)”. The rationale for updating the report stems from the positive developments which Ghana has registered on the economic front since the inauguration of H.E. John Dramani Mahama as President of the Republic of Ghana in January 2025, notably the rise in gold exports and the strengthening of the cedi against the dollar, making it one of the best performing currencies globally.
The mission met with various ministries and agencies such as the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Ministry of Trade and Commerce, the Ghana Revenue Authority – Customs Division – the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Association of Ghana Industries, to better gauge progress made since the targeted review in 2023 in terms of legislation and procedures, and integrate additional information into the Targeted Review Report.
In addition, the mission paid a courtesy call on Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana and APRM Focal Point, who warmly welcomed the delegation led by Ambassador Ali El Hefny, lead APR Panel Member for Ghana and Chairperson of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons. The Minister expressed Ghana’s pride in its participation in the APRM, noting the country’s steady support for the Mechanism, irrespective of the administration in power, and affirmed that the story of its democratic flourishing since 1992 could not be narrated without citing the APRM.
Also, Ghana has taken many APRM recommendations seriously translating them into reforms. Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana, would be personally invested in the Second-Generation Country Review of Ghana following the peer review of the Targeted Review Report at the 35th summit of the APR Forum of Heads of State and Government in February 2026, which he is equally committed to. The Minister encouraged the mission to be fearless and indicated that more resources would be allocated to the APRM National Secretariat in next year’s budget to allow it to carry out its duties more vigorously.
The mission also had the distinct honour of being granted an audience by H.E. John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House. Ambassador Marie-Antoinette Rose-Quatre, CEO of the APRM Continental Secretariat, briefed H.E. Mahama on the Targeted Review Report on Corporate Governance in Ghana, which will be an important lever for the implementation of the AfCFTA. She also apprised the President of progress on the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA), a ground-breaking endeavour to bolster the continent’s financial autonomy by issuing impartial and context-specific credit assessments. H.E. John Dramani Mahama, a champion of Africa’s renaissance and agency, lent his support, anew, for these APRM initiatives.
Following the consultations and meetings, the mission partook in a two-day validation workshop bringing stakeholders from various ministries and agencies, which it previously met, to discuss the content of the report.
In her remarks at the validation workshop, Ambassador Marie-Antoinette Rose-Quatre praised Ghana’s commitment to the APRM shared by successive governments. She also commended President Mahama’s advocacy on behalf of the continent on diverse issues such as reparations, financial independence and balanced partnerships, which are underpinned by his young administration’s reset agenda.
Ambassador Ali El Hefny, Chairperson of APR Panel of Eminent Persons and lead Panel member for Ghana, in his statement, emphasized the pivotal nature of the workshop which afforded participants the opportunity to advance African Union (AU) values and promote home-grown solutions to common challenges. He also paid tribute to H.E. John Dramani Mahama, commended Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for his guidance, and lauded Ambassador Marie-Antoinette Rose-Quatre’s vision which has reinvigorated the APRM and revived national structures in several countries.
In her opening statement, Ambassador Pepertua O. Dufu, Coordinating Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana, speaking on behalf of Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, highlighted the importance of the broad and diverse representation among attendees, which evinced strong interest in the APRM at the national level. The deliberations, she affirmed, would help develop a report that will capture popular aspirations. Moreover, she affirmed that the review was timely, and that it was imperative for the report to be updated to reflect current realities.
Following panel discussions on the state of corporate governance and the implementation of the AfCFTA in Ghana, the Targeted Review report was presented and refined in light of comments made by various stakeholders.
