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

President John Dramani Mahama has urged African leaders to unite against foreign interference and protect the continent’s sovereignty, warning that external powers are seeking strategic influence and access to Africa’s resources.

Speaking at the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, he said African countries must take greater control of their political, economic, and security priorities instead of allowing foreign interests to determine their future.

“External powers, from the East, the West, and the Gulf, are actively seeking leverage, access, and client states on our soil,” President Mahama said.

He warned that Africa risked becoming a battleground for competing foreign interests if its leaders failed to act collectively and establish a common vision for the continent.

“Africa is not an empty chessboard for foreign powers to play their games. We are not spectators,” he added.

President Mahama stressed that African countries must take the initiative in shaping their own future, cautioning that failure to do so could leave the continent at the mercy of decisions made by others.

“But unless we consciously decide to take up the pen and write our own script, someone else will write it for us, and we will not like how the story ends,” he said.

The President called for stronger continental unity and greater African ownership of political, economic and security decisions, arguing that the continent must define its priorities and safeguard its sovereignty amid growing competition for influence.