President John Dramani Mahama has called for stronger cooperation between Ghana and Caribbean nations, saying the focus of the current generation should shift from political liberation to economic emancipation.

Speaking at the Special High-Level Reparations Dialogue at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, President Mahama said the historical ties between Ghana and Jamaica were rooted in a shared struggle for freedom, but the challenge today is achieving economic prosperity.

"I'm happy to have come to Jamaica. We all know the relationships that have existed between Ghana and Jamaica. Indeed, our first president, of blessed memory, had always written and spoken about Marcus Garvey and the influence he had on him. Today, all that is history. But that was the fight for liberation," he said.

The president stressed that while the struggle for independence had been won, a new challenge now confronts African and Caribbean nations.

"But today, we're faced with a new fight. And that is why the relationships between us and visits like this are important."

According to him, closer collaboration between countries with shared historical and cultural ties is essential to improving the lives of their citizens.

"The battle that confronts us now is not the battle for liberation — we're independent anyway — the battle that confronts us is how we can cooperate to increase our economic development and create prosperity for our people. And so the battle now is the battle for economic emancipation," he added.

President Mahama made the remarks during the Special High-Level Reparations Dialogue as part of his visit to Jamaica, where discussions focused on strengthening historical, cultural and economic ties between Africa and the Caribbean.