President John Dramani Mahama has stressed the need for African leaders to move beyond discussions and take concrete action towards securing affordable financing for the continent’s development.

‎Speaking to CNN journalist Larry Madowo on the sidelines of a high-level summit in Nairobi, President Mahama said discussions among African leaders had been productive and focused on strengthening multilateral financial institutions across the continent.

‎The gathering in Nairobi brought together African leaders, policymakers, and development partners to discuss economic cooperation, development financing, and strategies to secure cheaper capital to accelerate growth across Africa. 

‎The meeting followed recent international conversations, including the French summit on global financing reforms, where African countries pushed for fairer financial systems and improved access to development funds.

‎Responding to a question on whether African leaders found the French summit useful, President Mahama said the engagements had been beneficial and timely.

‎“Yeah, very. I just came out of a session on the African multilateral financial institutions and how to leverage cheaper capital for Africa’s development,” he stated.

‎He explained that African countries have for years advocated reforms in the global financial architecture to enable the continent to access affordable funding for infrastructure, industrialisation, and social development.

‎“I think we’ve talked enough, it’s time to move on it and I believe that the discussions we’ve had would advance that objective even further,” President Mahama added.

‎The President, therefore,noted that while African leaders have consistently highlighted the financing challenges facing the continent, the time had come for practical implementation of the proposals and commitments made at various international forums.

Sompaonline.com/Derrick Djan