Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko (3rd L), Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang and other women leaders
Founder and Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has urged African leaders to prioritise job creation and free movement across the continent to help address rising unemployment.
Speaking at the Presidential and Business Leaders’ Session at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) yesterday in Accra, Mr. Otchere-Darko said Africa’s closed borders are hampering economic growth and wasting the potential of over one billion youth in the continent, which could become a threat to Africa’s growth.
He said, “You cannot have sovereignty when you don’t have economic leverage. If we fail to open our borders and allow young people to trade, innovate, and move freely, we are limiting Africa’s future.”
Mr. Otchere-Darko, who traced Africa’s long-standing commitment to continental integration, referencing key milestones such as the creation of the Africa Standards Organisation in 1977, the Economic Community of Africa in 1991, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in 2018, however lamented that progress has been slow, with critical agreements including the Free Movement Protocol still awaiting ratification by member states.
“The story is always the same. Leaders meet, sign treaties, and return home. Two years later, they meet again to sign the same protocols. Enough is enough. Our borders today restrict the substance of our sovereignty. True sovereignty comes from economic power, not arbitrary barriers,” he stated.
He also warned of the scale of Africa’s demographic difficulties, noting that by 2040, an estimated 1.3 billion young Africans will be entering the workforce, adding that the continent has the capacity to absorb this population, only if decisive action is taken.
“We cannot afford to leave a generation frustrated and unproductive. Opening borders, enabling trade, and strengthening continental collaboration is no longer optional, it is an urgent necessity. Africa has a similar population and a growing workforce, our own borders should not block our progress,” the APN Chairman noted.
Mr. Otchere-Darko mentioned that while Europe and the United States are erecting barriers to protect their economies, African countries continue to impose internal restrictions that hold back growth, citing a recent free trade agreement between the European Union and India, which has a population of 1.5 billion.
He, therefore, urged African governments, business leaders, and development partners to move beyond rhetoric and focus on implementation, focusing on youth empowerment, regional trade, and industrial growth.
“Sovereignty is meaningful only when it gives our citizens dignity and opportunity. It is time for Africa to move from treaties to implementation, from promises to progress, and from corners to centre stage in global affairs,” he added.
The three-day Africa Prosperity Dialogues brought together African heads of state, senior government officials, private sector leaders, policymakers, and development partners. The event was held under the theme: “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade.”
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah