President Siita: Development Must Be Deliberate to Bridge the North–South Gap
ACCRA, GHANA — 2 October 2026 — The Ghana Library Authority (GhLA) and the AfCFTA Young Entrepreneurs Federation (AfYEF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the development of the proposed John Dramani Mahama Presidential Library & Legacy Centre (JDM-PLLC).
The agreement marks an important milestone toward establishing a knowledge, heritage and youth-development institution in Northern Ghana.
The MOU was signed at the Board Room of the Ghana Library Authority Head Office in Accra on Friday, 2 October 2026, bringing together Ghana’s national library institution and a continental youth-focused organisation.
“DEVELOPMENT MUST BE DELIBERATE”
Speaking at the ceremony, AfYEF President and Founder Chief Siita Sofo Hissan emphasised the importance of deliberate and strategic development in addressing regional disparities.
“Development must be deliberate if we are to bridge the development gap between the North and South.”
Chief Siita said the partnership with the Ghana Library Authority reflects a broader approach to Northern Ghana’s development—one that goes beyond physical infrastructure to place education, knowledge, heritage, digital skills, technology and economic opportunity at the centre of regional transformation.
He described the JDM-PLLC as a proposed permanent, non-partisan institution intended to connect historical legacy with knowledge, learning, enterprise and opportunities for young people.
A PARTNERSHIP BUILT AROUND KNOWLEDGE
The Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Mr. Alhassan Ziblim Bentitiche, outlined the importance of institutional collaboration in strengthening Ghana’s library and knowledge ecosystem.
The partnership provides a framework for collaboration in areas including:
- Library development and professional technical support
- Archives and preservation of historical knowledge
- Digitisation and expanded public access to information
- Knowledge management and research
- Institutional sustainability
- Cultural heritage and knowledge preservation
The collaboration is intended to provide professional and institutional support for the library, archives and knowledge-preservation components of the JDM-PLLC.
FROM LEGACY TO OPPORTUNITY
Advanced through AfYEF as a permanent, non-partisan institution, the JDM-PLLC seeks to preserve historical knowledge and the legacy associated with President John Dramani Mahama, while creating pathways of opportunity for young people in Ghana, Africa and the wider world.
The project is anchored by its guiding philosophy:
FROM LEGACY TO OPPORTUNITY
Preserve the Legacy.
Develop Knowledge.
Empower People.
Inspire the Future.
The proposed centre is expected to integrate library and archival facilities with research, leadership, youth development, digital technology, cultural heritage and tourism-related programmes.
The wider concept includes a Presidential Library and Archives, Presidential Institute, Research and Knowledge Centre, Digital Library and Archives, Conference and Leadership Centre, African Youth Fellowship, Northern Ghana Museum and Youth Development and Skills Training Centre.
RECOGNISED PARTNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS
The JDM-PLLC initiative has been developed through engagement with public institutions, traditional authorities, academic and knowledge institutions, development organisations and other stakeholders.
Recognised partners and stakeholders currently associated with the initiative include:
- Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly
- Bole District Assembly
- Bole Traditional Council
- Ministry for Youth Development & Empowerment
- National Commission on Culture (NCC)
- USAfrica Caribbean Exchange (UACE)
- University for Development Studies (UDS)
- Ghana Library Authority (GhLA)
The project’s broader stakeholder engagement also includes the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour, Jobs & Employment, traditional authorities across Northern Ghana and African and diaspora organisations. The project’s media brief states that it has received more than 50 endorsements and expressions of support.
THREE YEARS OF GROUNDWORK AND BROAD ENDORSEMENT
The JDM-PLLC initiative began a little over three years ago and has involved sustained stakeholder consultations, institutional engagement and development work.
According to the project, more than 50 individuals and institutions have endorsed or expressed support for the initiative. This includes leading traditional authorities in Northern Ghana, including the Yagbon-Wura, Wa Naa, Sagnari-Naa and Bolewura, among others, as well as Ministers, public officials and representatives of academic, development and community institutions.
The initiative has also engaged institutions and stakeholders including the University for Development Studies, Ministry of Education, Ministry for Youth Development & Empowerment, National Commission on Culture, traditional authorities and other public and development-sector partners across Northern Ghana.
The Ghana Library Authority MOU represents another step in building the professional and institutional foundations required for the long-term development of the Centre.
FROM LEGACY TO LOCAL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
The initiative forms part of AfYEF’s wider development vision for Northern Ghana, connecting heritage and knowledge infrastructure with opportunities in employment, entrepreneurship, tourism and local economic activity.
The development chain is:
HERITAGE → KNOWLEDGE → TOURISM → JOBS → SMEs → LOCAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY → COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
The project seeks to complement existing regional assets, including Mole National Park, Larabanga and other cultural, historical and community-based tourism destinations, with the objective of encouraging longer visitor stays and greater participation by local businesses and communities.
The project’s broader tourism framework identifies opportunities across tourism, hospitality, transport, tour operations, food, crafts, culture, creative industries, events and youth enterprise.
MOU PAVES WAY FOR NATIONAL LAUNCH
With the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Ghana Library Authority, the JDM-PLLC initiative has reached a significant institutional milestone and paved the way for its planned official national launch on 30 November 2026.
The national launch will formally present the project’s three-year development journey to the public and open the next phase of founding-partner mobilisation, fundraising, masterplanning and capital development.
NATIONAL LAUNCH
Date: Monday, 30 November 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Venue: UDS Multipurpose Auditorium / Great Hall
Location: Tamale, Ghana
The event is expected to bring together public institutions, traditional authorities, universities and researchers, corporate Ghana, development partners, financial institutions, African institutions, diaspora organisations, philanthropists, the media and young people.
The project media brief describes the launch as the transition from the development and endorsement phase into the founding-partner, fundraising, masterplanning and development phase.
ABOUT THE JDM-PLLC
The John Dramani Mahama Presidential Library & Legacy Centre was founded by Chief Siita Sofo Hissan and is being advanced through the AfCFTA Young Entrepreneurs Federation (AfYEF).
The proposed institution is intended to be a permanent, non-partisan legacy, knowledge, research, cultural and youth-development institution serving Ghana, Africa and the wider global African community.
The project is not a Government of Ghana-funded project. It is a privately initiated project being advanced through AfYEF, its partners, investors, philanthropists and development partners.
ABOUT THE PARTNERS
AfCFTA Young Entrepreneurs Federation (AfYEF): A continental youth-focused organisation working to mobilise young entrepreneurs and promote trade, entrepreneurship and private-sector participation under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Ghana Library Authority (GhLA): Ghana’s national library institution responsible for the development and management of public library services and the promotion of reading, learning and access to information.
MEDIA CONTACT
Office of the President / Communications Directorate
AfCFTA Young Entrepreneurs Federation (AfYEF)
Email: press@afyef.org
Website: afyef.org
FROM LEGACY TO OPPORTUNITY
Preserve the Legacy.
Develop Knowledge.
Empower People.
Inspire the Future.
