Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged African nations to guard against becoming pawns in global power rivalries, stressing the importance of unity, sovereignty, and economic integration in navigating a rapidly shifting world order.
He made the call on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, while delivering the keynote address at the Strategic Meeting of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s (KAS) African Team and political partners, held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra. The gathering brought together KAS country representatives from across Africa as well as members of the Foundation’s Board from Berlin, Germany.
Ahead of the event, Akufo-Addo met with Prof. Norbert Lammert, former Speaker of the German Parliament and current Chairman of KAS, along with senior officials from the Foundation’s headquarters.
Speaking on the theme of geopolitical shifts and their impact on Africa, the former president noted that influence in the global system is now dispersed among several major powers, including the United States, China, Russia, the European Union, India, and the expanded BRICS bloc, which has recently admitted Egypt and Ethiopia.
With competition among these actors intensifying, Akufo-Addo cautioned that Africa must resist being reduced to an arena for external interests. “African nations must elude attempts to turn the continent into an arena of rivalries, where our sovereignty and development aspirations are compromised and subordinated to external interests,” he said.
He urged African leaders to adopt a more strategic and united approach, diversify international partnerships, negotiate fairer terms with global powers, and fast-track economic integration through frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
According to him, strengthening cooperation and prioritising homegrown transformation will allow Africa to seize opportunities presented by the evolving global landscape rather than fall victim to its risks.
