Respected international development publication Devex has named Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, as the 5th Most Powerful person in the world of development and changemaking, citing his leadership in advancing the Accra Reset agenda.
The recognition places President Mahama among a select group of global figures shaping the future of development at a time of major shifts in international aid, financing and global cooperation.
President Mahama assumed office in January, 2025, marking his second term as President, though not a consecutive one. He previously served as President from 2012 to January 7, 2017, Vice President, a Member of Parliament, and held ministerial positions. He was also the first co-chair of the United Nations Advocacy Group on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to Devex, President Mahama has emerged as a leading voice calling for a new deal for African development, pushing back against traditional aid-dependent models and advocating reforms in debt relief, trade, and climate finance.
His central argument, Devex noted, is that Africa must renegotiate its place in the global economic order, rather than simply adapt to shrinking foreign aid.
The publication described the Accra Reset as a key pillar of Mahama’s influence. In August last year, he brought together African leaders, policymakers, and global health experts in Accra to launch a new vision for health sovereignty, built on national ownership and fairer global cooperation.
That vision was later expanded beyond health to development more broadly during the United Nations General Assembly in September, positioning the Accra Reset as a global agenda, not just an African one.
Devex described the Accra Reset as a bold effort to declare an end to “development-as-usual”, especially in response to cuts in U.S. foreign aid, and to push for new governance, business and financing models. President Mahama, the publication said, has been a hands-on and leading advocate of the initiative, with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo serving as a key adviser.
Recognised as first, second, third, and fourth respectively, are Benjamin Black, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation; Sidi Ould Tah, President of the African Development Bank; Anna Makanju, Vice President, Global Impact | Openai; and Alexander Berger, Cofounder and CEO of Coefficient Giving.
Introducing its Power 50 list, Devex said the development sector has undergone “tectonic shifts” over the past year, as major donors retrench and new actors step in.
The list, it explained, focuses on individuals who are transforming development in a post-aid era, including figures in government, philanthropy, multilateral finance, artificial intelligence and global health.
Devex noted that as bilateral aid declines, attention is increasingly shifting to philanthropy, development finance institutions and the private sector, while emerging donors, including countries in the Persian Gulf, are reshaping the aid landscape.
The publication also highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence as a potential force multiplier in development, if deployed responsibly.
While acknowledging that ranking influence is not an exact science, Devex said its newsroom’s deep engagement with the sector informed the list, which it describes as a guide to the key individuals shaping global development in 2026.
President Mahama’s inclusion in the top five underscores Ghana’s rising profile in global development debates and positions the Accra Reset as one of the most influential ideas redefining international cooperation in the years ahead.
