President of the Republic John Dramani Mahama has stated that his government fully supports the vision and mission of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD), an annual event organized by Africa Prosperity Network (APN) and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogues aims to bring business and political leaders together to discuss and agree on implementable policies that would drive Africa’s single market and the continent’s development, thereby creating jobs for the continent’s theming youth population.
The APD 2025, held from Thursday, 30 January, to Saturday, 1 February 2025, was to assist African countries in moving from a fragmented continent to an integrated continent and to develop policies to support continental efforts to bridge their infrastructure gap.
The dialogues also aimed to guide coordinated efforts among governments, business leaders, investors, and development partners for infrastructure development. The three-day dialogue also highlighted key issues and recommendations that African countries must all commit to implementing.
President John Mahama made the support pledge when he addressed two of his colleague heads of state, H.E. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Republic of Togo, and H.E. Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros, and other attendees of the “Presidential and Business Executives Dialogue,” the final session of APD 2025, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).
The theme for APD 2025 was “Delivering Africa’s Single Market Through Infrastructure: Invest, Connect, and Integrate.” President Mahama said the APD is a vital intervention that will help gather tangible ideas to propel intra-African trade and a vibrant single African market in the coming years.
“It is a great honour to address this distinguished gathering of Heads of State, policymakers, and business leaders, all united by a common vision of a prosperous and self-sufficient Africa.
“This conference exemplifies our shared commitment to unlocking Africa’s full potential and ensuring that the continent occupies its rightful position in the global economic landscape,” President Mahama remarked.
“The decisions we make at this conference must not end in resolutions alone. We must act with urgency, determination, and a shared vision for prosperity. Let us rise to the occasion, break down the barriers that divide us, and build a strong, self-reliant, and globally competitive Africa.
“As Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, once said: “The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart.” Let us embrace those forces and chart a new path for Africa’s economic transformation,” Mahama further remarked.
Transit Guarantee Scheme
In his remarks, Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat, announced that the much-anticipated “AfCFTA Transit Guarantee Scheme” will be launched this year, 2025.
He explained that the scheme, aimed at facilitating seamless trade across the continent, would ensure that goods transported along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor—and other regions—were covered by a single transit guarantee, eliminating the need for multiple payments.
According to Mr. Mene, “this scheme will allow goods to move across regions, from the ECOWAS region to other parts of the continent, under one unified cost of transit guarantee.” He emphasized the significance of this development, saying it would mark a milestone in Africa’s trade integration efforts.
Mene expressed immense pride in the progress made by the continent, noting that the AfCFTA Transit Guarantee Scheme would be the first of its kind globall…
