BRICS Opposes Western Monopoly, While Benefiting Africa, Ghanaian Former President Tells Sputnik

BRICS is the power that stands against the Western monopoly, and the situation benefits the African continent, Ghanaian ex-president John Dramani Mahama told Sputnik in an exclusive interview.

He added that "every part of the world must be a growth pole that offers prosperity and development to humanity," because the Western monopoly in this sense "is not an ideal thing for the whole of the planet." There should not be one growth pole in the world; "there should be three or four," the ex-leader said.

"BRICS is also a counterbalance. These are emerging countries that have decided to pull resources together. And it's a benefit to ourselves in Africa because instead of just one source of multilateral and bilateral assistance, we have two sources," the former leader emphasized.

Mahama cited Brazil and South Africa as examples in the BRICS bloc: these countries are growing and building prosperity, and their experience "can be emulated to also in the future become like them."

"I think the development of the BRICS is a good thing for the world," he said.

Neocolonialism is a reality in today's Africa; the continent needs to be restructured to start exporting products to other countries and stop "begging for handouts," the former president noted.

"Neocolonialism is one where the colonial power does not come and sit in your country to oppress you and usurp your sovereignty. Neocolonialism is where, despite being a free and independent country, there are constraints on your ability to determine your own values and direction of prosperity," he explained.

The ex-president believes that Africa should add as much value as possible to its raw materials.

"So, for instance, even though we signed the African Continental Free Trade Area, the neocolonial trade links are between us and Europe. And so we don't have any links to be able to exchange our goods and services. And so sometimes, if I want to export something to another African country, it has to go to Europe and be transshipped to Africa because the neocolonial trade routes were built like that. Our railway systems are built only to the places where raw materials must be evacuated. They were not built to benefit our people as a whole. And so the issue of neocolonialism is a reality. It will take time to overcome."

John Dramani Mahama

Ghanaian ex-president

According to Mahama, until the continent restructures, "Africa will always be at the receiving end."

Furthermore, the former leader believes it is unfair for international organizations to tie financial aid to African nations based on whether those nations have imposed restrictions on LGBTQ* rights.

"A lot of these come with strings attached, and that is the unfortunate part. The World Bank gives a lot of support to developing countries. But it has taken a decision that LGBTQ is an issue of discrimination, and therefore, in a country that passes legislation that discriminates against LGBTQ, it cannot continue funding," he said.

That is what happened to Uganda, he said.

"That’s the paradox because it's an issue of people's culture and also an issue of democracy," Mahama noted.

The politician explained that Ghana has a bill called the "Proper Family Values Bill," which was sent to Parliament and approved unanimously. The bill was then sent to the president for his assent, but he refused to sign it "because, according to him, someone went to court to sue for a ban," the former president pointed out.

"And so the problem is, where does democracy start, and where does the preservation of people’s culture, people’s sovereign traditional culture, stand against the conditions associated with international development assistance? That is a question we have to consider," the ex-president highlighted.

Mahama said he believes the bill reflects the will of the Ghanaian people because it was passed unanimously by parliament. However, as he pointed out, if the president disagrees with some of its provisions, then according to the constitution, he should either send the document back to parliament or seek the advice of the Council of State.

"Ghana is a member of the IMF. So, during times of economic crisis, we have the opportunity and the right to ask the IMF for bailouts. But I do think that the time has come for Africa to begin to lift itself up with its own resources and capabilities. We shouldn't always run to international monitoring institutions for bailouts if we manage our affairs better. We're going to see how we can be more self-reliant."

John Dramani Mahama

Ghanaian ex-president

Ghana should start building new relations with Russia based on the long-standing historical ties between the two countries.

"I do think that there was a time when Russia was also preoccupied with its own issues, especially after the Perestroyka and all that. Russia was looking inward a bit and not continuing to extend their hand to other countries as it used to do in the past. But I think that times change, and so there's a time to build a new relationship with Russia," the ex-leader recalled.

These relations need to be built on the foundation of the historical connections between the two nations "that trace back to the early years of the African country's independence."

"We've always had a very good relation with Russia from the time of our first president. Russia was one of the first countries that Ghana established diplomatic relations with. If you go to Ghana, there are many people who were educated here who speak Russian fluently. There are Russian-Ghanaian families of students who came and studied and married Russian spouses. There are Ghanaians who are half Russian, half Ghanaian. And so I think that possibility of continuing our relationship is always there," Mahama said.

Many of Ghana's top specialists were educated in Russia, he added. Nowadays, most of those who studied in the USSR are back in Ghana.

"They are heads of departments, medical doctors, engineers, and are working in various sectors of the Ghanaian economy. All of them can speak Russian," Mahama said.

According to him, the University of Ghana has a Russian language department, and students studying there can go to Russia for one year of study.

Besides, Russia possesses certain technological advantages in various industries, which can serve as a basis for cooperation with African countries.

"Russia has some advantages in terms of technology, in terms of industry, in terms of agricultural production, and I think that that is a basis for cooperation between Russia and Africa. And so, I think it's a good thing. And we'll continue that cooperation even if a new administration [in Ghana] comes into office," Mahama noted.

He also highly praised the second Russia-Africa Summit held in Saint Petersburg last July, noting that such events "breathe new life" into Russian-African relations. In his opinion, the Russia-Africa Summit lays the foundation for cooperation between the African continent and Russia.

Concluding the interview, the politician shared with Sputnik that he deeply appreciates the Russian tradition of toasting before drinking.

According to Mahama, the Russian feast, where family and close friends usually gather to spend time together in conversation, is an important and valuable tradition.

"The Russian tradition is to get our friends and family together, to eat together. [...] And we would share the food, at the same time, we would be having a drink, and the Russian tradition, you cannot take a glass and be drinking by yourself, you have to wait till somebody toasts, so anytime anybody wants to drink, he raises his glass and says: So let's toast to my uncle, my grandfather who died this year [...] And then everybody will drink. Then the next one, oh, let's toast to my grandmother, you know."

John Dramani Mahama

Ghanaian ex-president

* The "LGBT movement" is classified as extremist by the Russian authorities and is banned in Russia.