Jun 16, 2025
16 June, 2025
By E K Bensah Jr
I am not sure whether anyone is noticing, but Ghana’s footprint on continental (AU) leadership appears to be growing.Hon Senanu’s appointment as Chairperson of the AUABC is arguably the third time since February’s AU Summit when Ghana assumed leadership of an AU institution.
It was just about a fortnight ago that Ghana’s now outgone CEO of Food & Drugs Authority (FDA), Dr Mimi Darko, was appointed in Kigali to be the first-ever Director-General of African Medicines Agency.
This comes on the heels of the nomination at the AU Summit in February of Ghanaian candidate Ambassador Ama Twum, a seasoned diplomat with vast experience working on the continent, as Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs & Social Development (HHS) — also from Ghana. With the operationalisation of the upcoming African Humanitarian Agency in Uganda, there’s no gainsaying that the Commissioner’s influence and synergy with other AU states might be important on who heads that new agency.
While AU rules will invalidate a Ghanaian candidate to head, it’s a moot point that the head of AHA might have to be a friend to Ghana to make traction.Of course, anything is possible, but these developments, while small, may point to tectonic plates shifting on a confidence reposed in the West African country that hosts AfCFTA Secretariat.
Will Ghanaian media be watching to be able to connect the dots, or will it be business as usual.
That even Ghana, together with Zambia, have been in the news for the wrong reasons around recent developments of the credit rating conversation around AfrEximbank might be an opportunity for Ghana to begin getting very serious on whether it continues to see itself fit for purpose engaging the AU like never before.Engaging the AU “like never before” remains cardinal if Ghana is to ride this wave of confidence.
This means three major things.
First, Ghana must pay particular attention to the unfolding narrative of the African Credit Rating Agency, dubbed as #AfCRA across social media. In 2021, as appointed APRM Communications Champion, I had the priviledge of being part of sensitization missions online of credit rating conversations in Ghana, Senegal and Zambia. The media was a big part of these meetings, but there was not much traction.
Fast-forward four years later of a lot of significant advocacy by APRM together with UNECA, one of its principal partners, and you find the conversation has run on steroids.It has been buoyed also by expert interventions by APRM Staff, such as Dr Misheck Mutaze, who have been very active on LinkedIn demystifying the rationale for Africa to have its own credit rating Agency.
Truth, I have been disappointed by the paucity of Ghanaian interventions around #AfCRA – considering Ghana was one of the three key countries that helped carry the narrative back in 2021.
Second, Ghana needs to ride on the back of the outgone Champion in former President Akufo-Addo who held the portfolio of 3FI (article 19 institutions of the AU) and get back the rhythm of maintaining somewhat of a stentorian roar that the AU is here in 2025 as a global player (aspiration 7 of Agenda 2063).
Further, that Ghana is ready to lobby AU member states to ratify and fast-track the establishment of the article 19 institutions– the African Investment Bank; African Monetary Fund; and African Central Bank–to help support the AfCRA and catalyse the transformation as truly an AU that is significant and worthy of international respect.
Third, at a time when Ghana has been audacious to declare the country as a visa-free destination, Ghana must continue to be the poster-child of a borderless Africa – especially with horror stories continuing to abound about restrictive visa fees across different regions.
The UNECA’s landmark study, started last year that used Kenya; Ghana and Zambia as case studies, must serve as a catalyst to re-jig the conversation around the AU’s Freedom of Movement Protocol, and help cause bold conversations by Ghana to lead on significant advocacy of the FMP.
In closing, I see these three key points, when superimposed against the exciting appointments of Ghanaians at the highest level in three AU agencies (AUC; Africa Medecines Agency; AU Advisory Board Against Corruption) to buttress and support the growing confidence in Ghana to do just one thing many people want to see: create impact and make history for generations to come.
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