Mahama Chosen by Devex as 5th Most Powerful Figure in Development and Changemaking
- President John Mahama ranked fifth among the 50 most powerful figures in global development by Devex
- Mahama is being hailed for his Accra Reset initiative, which seeks innovative governance and financing models
- Devex explained why Mahama was ranked so high in a publication on its website, with the full list of development leaders
President John Mahama has been recognised as number five on a list of the 50 most powerful people in the world of development and changemaking.
This list was compiled by Devex, a media platform for the global development community.
Source: Facebook
Devex said Mahama was ranked fifth because he has emerged as a leading voice pushing for a new deal for African development.
It noted his contribution to shaping debates on debt relief, trade reform, and climate finance.
Devex also noted Mahama's Accra Reset initiative, an effort to declare an end to the era of development-as-usual and to push for the creation of new governance, business, and financing models in response to the US aid cuts.
The four people ahead of Mahama were Alexander Berger, the founder of Coefficient Giving; Anna Makanju, OpenAI’s vice president of global impact; Sidi Ould Tah, a Mauritanian economist and president of the African Development Bank; and Benjamin Black, the CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation.
About the Accra Reset
The Accra Reset was launched at a high-level side event during the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in October 2025.
Mahama, the African Union Champion for African Financial Institutions, held that the current development architecture is fraying.
COVID-19 has erased two decades of progress in less than two years, extreme climate shocks now threaten nearly 735 million people with hunger, and many developing countries spend more servicing debt than on health and education.
Mahama's co-convenor in this initiative is former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Health will serve as an entry point and proof of concept, transitioning from aid dependency to health sovereignty, building on commitments made at the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra in August 2025.
The launch also saw the unveiling of the Global Presidential Council, which will unite a coalition of Heads of State and Government from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and beyond to provide political leadership and accountability.
Source: YEN.com.gh
