Ghanaian Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has urged the African continent to re-interrogate the issue of borders as a step toward mobilizing the entire continent and its resources seamlessly for development.
A more united continent is necessary to achieve the vision of trade and economic integration, Opoku-Agyemang told the opening of the 2026 edition of the Africa Prosperity Dialogue on Wednesday.
Opoku-Agyemang said that the African Continental Free Trade Area, with more than 1.3 billion people, stands out as a historic opportunity for the continent in the area of trade and economic development.
“We must interrogate our borders. Africa must unite,” she said. “This is not about erasing sovereignty. It is about organizing our sovereignty in the service of shared prosperity.”
Opoku-Agyemang praised the African Union for its sustained efforts, deeper coordination, and increasingly confident leadership in creating the momentum for continental integration, industrialization, and economic development.
“The task now is to convert this momentum into a durable economic transformation that requires clarity of focus, expanding trade within Africa, and implementing the industrial strategies that strengthen priority sectors, build skills support, and sustainable production,” she said.
Opoku-Agyemang also called for continued support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), women in business, and the youth who form the backbone of economic activity and trade on the continent.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogue is organized annually by the Africa Prosperity Network, a continent-wide think tank. The theme of this year’s edition is “Empowering SMEs, Women, and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade.”
