Ghana’s Mahama arrives in Belgrade for Non-Aligned Movement summit

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has arrived in Belgrade for a summit marking the 65th anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement, as developing countries seek to reaffirm their independence from competing global power blocs.

Mahama’s attendance at the two-day gathering highlights Ghana’s historic role as a founding member of the movement, which was established in 1961 as newly independent countries sought an alternative to alignment with either the US-led western bloc or the Soviet Union.

The summit, hosted by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, brings together senior representatives from more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. It is being held under the theme, “The Legacy of Non-Alignment: Lessons for Today’s World.”

For Ghana, Mahama’s participation also recalls the foreign policy legacy of the country’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who was among the political leaders instrumental in shaping the movement alongside Yugoslavia’s Josip Broz Tito, India’s Jawaharlal Nehru, Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser and Indonesia’s Sukarno.

The Non-Aligned Movement now comprises 120 member states, making it the largest international grouping outside the United Nations.

Although conceived during the Cold War, when newly independent nations sought to avoid being drawn into the rivalry between Washington and Moscow, the movement has continued to promote principles including sovereign equality, territorial integrity and non-interference in domestic affairs.

The Belgrade summit is intended to revisit those principles in the context of a more fragmented international system, with members expected to emphasise greater economic co-operation among developing countries as well as respect for national sovereignty.

Ghana’s presence reflects Accra’s long-standing commitment to multilateral diplomacy and the political tradition associated with Nkrumah’s advocacy of African independence and greater co-operation among developing nations.

The meeting also carries historical significance for Serbia. Belgrade hosted the first Non-Aligned Movement summit in 1961 under Tito, making the Serbian capital the birthplace of a diplomatic grouping that grew substantially as countries across Africa and Asia gained independence.

The anniversary summit therefore brings the movement back to its origins at a time when developing countries are again seeking greater room for manoeuvre between competing centres of geopolitical and economic power.