Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Esq., Founder and Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), has called for a paradigm shift in Africa’s integration agenda, urging that the process move beyond elite-level discussions to a people-focused movement that directly benefits ordinary citizens, especially young people and small businesses.
He made the remarks on Friday, February 13, 2026, at the High-Level Symposium on Advancing a Visa-Free Africa for Economic Prosperity, a side event organised by the African Union Commission’s Department of Health, Humanitarian and Social Affairs and the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the 39th Summit of African Union Heads of State and Government.
Speaking during the segment titled “How Can We Move Faster Towards a Visa-Free Africa? and Why Mobility Matters for Regional Integration, Agenda 2063 and the Africa We Want,” Otchere-Darko noted that the idea of African integration has remained largely confined to summit halls and intellectual circles for decades, without being fully embraced by the wider population.
“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 explained that APN is working to move the conversation beyond conference rooms into factories, shops, campuses, and marketplaces across the continent. According to him, ordinary Africans, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and young entrepreneurs, must recognise that their economic future is directly tied to a borderless Africa and a larger integrated market.
“Creating a wider economic space unlocks job creation opportunities for Africa’s growing youth population and allows businesses to expand across borders more easily,” he added.
Mr. Otchere-Darko outlined a series of priority reforms that the Africa Prosperity Network is championing under what he described as a 12-point call to action. He highlighted visa-free travel as a key proposal, which would enable the free movement of people and goods across the continent.
He also stressed the importance of open skies and full implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market, in line with the Yamoussoukro Decision, to make air travel and trade more efficient between African countries.
Highlighting the continent’s digital finance potential, Otchere-Darko pointed to nearly one billion mobile money accounts across Africa, accounting for roughly 65% of global mobile money transactions. He proposed continent-wide mobile money interoperability to allow seamless cross-border transactions, giving SMEs the ability to trade and receive payments instantly in local currencies.
“That is how we create economic opportunities for ordinary SMEs,” he said, citing the example of a trader in Accra purchasing goods advertised from Nairobi while the seller receives payment instantly in their own currency.
Otchere-Darko also raised concerns about Africa’s slow progress in industrialisation and standardisation, referencing the African Standardization Organization (ASO), established in 1977, which he said has yet to achieve its full purpose. He emphasised that a functioning single market of 1.5 billion people requires harmonised standards so that goods manufactured in one country can circulate freely and compete across the continent.
Referring to the Abuja Treaty ratified in 1994, he reminded African leaders of their commitment to build a common market within 34 years, culminating in free movement, rights of residence and settlement, and even a single currency and central bank. However, he criticised what he described as a recurring pattern of African governments signing protocols without implementing them.
“Our leaders sign up to treaties and then go back home to do business as usual,” he said.
As part of efforts to compel political action, Otchere-Darko announced a new signature campaign aimed at mobilising Africans to demand the implementation of agreed integration policies.
Using a QR code-based sign-up system launched last week, the initiative has already attracted over 76,000 supporters, with a target of securing 10 billion signatures within 24 months.
The signatures will be presented to African leaders as a clear signal that citizens are no longer willing to accept delays.
“Enough is enough. This time the people are saying implement what you signed,” he declared.
He further stressed that African leaders must recognise integration as essential to tackling the continent’s unemployment crisis.
With over one billion young people in Africa, more than 400 million of working age, he warned that the continent must create between 15 and 20 million jobs annually to meet demand.
“Only a truly integrated African economy can generate the scale of opportunity needed for our youth,” he said.
“It is in their interest to have a broader market of play so that we can create jobs for our young people.”
Otchere-Darko’s address underscored the urgency of moving African integration from rhetoric to action, with tangible benefits for citizens, SMEs, and the continent’s growing youth population.
