Founder and Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has called for Africa’s integration agenda to move beyond elite discussions and become a people-driven movement that directly benefits ordinary citizens, especially young people and small businesses.
He made the call at a High-Level Symposium on Advancing a Visa-Free Africa for Economic Prosperity, held on the sidelines of the 39th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.
The event took place on Friday, February 13, 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and was organised by the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank Group.
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Speaking during a panel session titled “How can we move faster towards a visa-free Africa?”, Mr. Otchere-Darko observed that African integration has for decades remained confined to summit halls and academic circles.
“The whole idea of Pan-Africanism and African integration has been restricted to the elite. It has never really been owned and driven by the people,” he said.
He noted that despite hosting major continental institutions, Africa still struggles to implement basic integration measures such as visa-free travel, even among neighbouring countries.
According to him, APN is working to take the integration conversation into factories, markets, campuses, and small businesses across the continent.
“Ordinary Africans, especially SMEs and young entrepreneurs, must understand that their economic future is tied to a borderless Africa,” he stated.
Mr. Otchere-Darko outlined key reforms under APN’s 12-point call to action, with visa-free travel across Africa as a major priority.
He explained that free movement would enhance trade, tourism, and job creation.
He also called for the full implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market and the Yamoussoukro Decision to improve air connectivity and reduce travel costs across the continent.
“An open skies policy will make business and trade more efficient and affordable for Africans,” he said.
The APN Chairman further stressed the importance of continent-wide mobile money interoperability.
He noted that Africa hosts nearly one billion mobile money accounts and accounts for about 65 per cent of global mobile money transactions.
According to him, seamless cross-border payments would empower small traders and entrepreneurs.
“A trader in Accra should be able to buy goods from Nairobi using local currency and pay instantly,” he explained.
“That is how we create economic opportunities for ordinary SMEs.”
Mr. Otchere-Darko also expressed concern over Africa’s slow pace of industrialisation and standardisation.
He referenced the African Standardization Organization (ASO), established in 1977, which he said has not yet achieved its full mandate.
He argued that a functional single market of over 1.5 billion people requires harmonised standards to allow goods produced in one country to circulate freely across the continent.
“Without common standards, a true single market cannot work,” he stressed.
To compel political action, Mr. Otchere-Darko announced a new signature campaign aimed at mobilising Africans to demand the implementation of agreed integration policies.
Using a QR code-based system launched last week, he said the campaign has already attracted more than 76,000 supporters.
The target is to secure 10 million signatures within 24 months and present them to African leaders.
“Enough is enough. This time, the people are saying implement what you signed,” he declared.
He further warned that African leaders must see integration as essential to addressing unemployment on the continent.
With over one billion young people in Africa, more than 400 million of working age, he said the continent needs to create between 15 and 20 million jobs annually.
According to him, only a truly integrated economy can generate opportunities at that scale.
“It is in their interest to have a broader market of play so that we can create jobs for our young people,” he added.
Mr. Otchere-Darko urged African governments to move from signing agreements to fully implementing them, stressing that citizens are now demanding action, not promises.