President John Dramani Mahama arrived in the historic city of Gondar, Ethiopia, on Friday, October 23, 2026, for an official visit at the invitation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali, and immediately joined his host to commission the Megech Irrigation Development Project, a massive dam-and-reservoir infrastructure designed to transform agriculture and water supply in the region .
The visit comes ahead of the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, which President Mahama is scheduled to chair in Bahir Dar on Saturday .
A Project 18 Years in the Making
Shortly after arriving at Gondar Airport, President Mahama joined Prime Minister Abiy to switch on the Megech Irrigation Development Project. The ambitious project, which began 18 years ago, had stalled for years until Prime Minister Abiy revived it three years ago and oversaw its completion .
Spanning 870 hectares with a storage capacity of 185 million cubic metres, the Megech Dam is set to have a profound socio-economic impact. It will support the irrigation of 17,000 hectares of agricultural land, significantly bolstering food security and productivity in the Amhara region . In addition, the facility will provide a reliable supply of clean, potable water to the city of Gondar and its surrounding satellite towns .
Prime Minister Abiy, speaking at the inauguration, said the dam would do more than supply water. “Beyond supplying reliable, clean drinking water to Gondar and nearby towns, it stimulates broader economic growth. The artificial lake will foster urban agriculture, large-scale fisheries, and tourism resorts, creating massive job opportunities for local youth,” he said .
Mahama Commends Ethiopian Resilience
President Mahama commended the Government and people of Ethiopia for their resilience and dedication in delivering a transformative project that will serve generations to come .
According to reports from the inauguration ceremony, President Mahama also indicated that Ghana is planning to restart its own long-stalled Pwalugu irrigation and power project, drawing inspiration from Ethiopia’s rapid development as a model for the continent. He noted that today’s African leaders must work together to achieve economic transformation and prosperity, just as their forefathers united against colonialism .
Tana Forum to Focus on Economic Sovereignty
On Saturday, President Mahama will travel to Bahir Dar to chair the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, where African leaders, policymakers, and security experts will discuss pressing peace, governance, and security challenges across the continent .
This year’s forum is themed “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation” . President Mahama, who has chaired the Tana Forum for the past nine years, is expected to deliver a major address urging African leaders to embrace what he has termed “The Accra Reset”—a Head-of-State-anchored initiative to rebuild global development cooperation around practical sovereignty, execution capacity, and shared prosperity .
The African Union, in a message delivered at the forum, emphasised that Africa’s economic sovereignty and its ability to shape a changing international order are mutually reinforcing foundations for sustainable peace. The AU called for translating Africa’s resource wealth into productive capacity, strengthening institutions, and mobilising domestic resources to reduce dependency .
The forum, which runs from October 23 to 25, brings together heads of state, former leaders, policymakers, and scholars for open dialogue on the continent’s most pressing security and development challenges .
