Macron Hosts Akufo-Addo For African Diaspora Summit

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Nana Akufo-Addo at Paris on Thursday as part of series of meetings devoted to the African diaspora.

Ghana is of particular significance for Macron, after he visited the country in December 2017 as part of an attempt to reach out to anglophone Africa, while promoting a "new, less defensive, vision" for French-speaking countries on the continent.

Africa must change its relationship with Europe if it wants to become self-reliant and exploit rich resources that could transform the continent, Akufo-Addo has said.

According to Akufo-Addo, "Africa and Europe are natural partners ... but [it's] a relationship that has to be different from what we've had up to now."

"That relationship has enriched Europe but has not enriched Africa. So, we need to change that dynamic and we can only do it by ourselves, taking the correct measures for our future," he stressed.

He continued, "We have to get away from the idea that there is some Father Christmas who's going to come and develop our continent for us. There is no Father Christmas, there is just us.

"So, Mr President, we're saying the time has come for us to take our destiny in our own hands," he said, directly addressing Macron."

As a former British colony, Ghana does not have the same historical ties with Paris as other former French colonies in West Africa.

When Macron visited Ghana in November 2017, it was the first visit by a French President.