Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on African leaders to urgently dismantle trade barriers, harmonise standards, and invest in cross-border infrastructure as part of efforts to unlock the continent’s growth potential.
Speaking during the conclusion of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s (KAS) African Team Strategic Meeting at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel, Accra, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Akufo-Addo said Africa’s most potent response to global turbulence lies in accelerating economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The theme for this year’s KAS African Team Strategic Meeting was “The world in times of geopolitical changes and its effect on the African continent and international cooperation.”
“And I submit to you tonight,” he declared, “that Africa’s most important response to today’s geopolitical turbulence is to accelerate our own economic integration and transformation agenda.
The African Continental Free Trade Area, whose secretariat is headquartered here in Accra, offers us the most incredible opportunity to turn fragmentation into strength.”
AfCFTA
The former President stressed that the AfCFTA, once fully operational, would create a single market of 1.5 billion people with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $3.5 trillion.
He argued that such scale would not only expand industrialisation and boost intra-African trade but also reduce dependence on volatile external markets.
“Fragmentation keeps us weak. Integration makes us strong. By lowering trade barriers, harmonising standards, and investing in cross-border infrastructure, we create an African economy capable of attracting investment on our own terms.
“Integration is not just an economic imperative—it is a strategic shield against dependency, exploitation, marginalisation and gross indignity,” Akufo-Addo stated.
Nana Akufo-Addo also highlighted the link between economic opportunities and Africa’s migration challenge. He noted that AfCFTA has the potential to create jobs and opportunities at home, reducing the need for young Africans to seek livelihoods abroad where they often face hostility.
“AfCFTA can boost intra-African trade, expand industrialisation, and reduce dependence on volatile external markets and, by so doing, encourage our young people to remain here and be the drivers of change, rather than being the subject of the feuding anti-migrant sentiments across Europe and America,” he said.
Commendation
The former President lauded KAS for its longstanding contributions to democratic development in Ghana and across Africa. Since its establishment in Ghana in 1966, the Foundation has supported civil society, academia, traditional and religious leaders, and policy research, making it, in his words, “a steadfast partner in our democratic journey.”
He urged the organisation to channel more of its expertise and resources into supporting Africa’s economic integration agenda. “In this task, I would like to encourage KAS to make the economic integration project a big part of its focus in Africa. This way, KAS can become an even more important ally,” he said.
Nana Akufo-Addo observed that Africa stands at a crossroads in the global order, where great power rivalries present both risks and opportunities. He maintained that the continent must act decisively to avoid becoming an arena for external rivalries.
“Our task is to channel capital, both internally generated and externally mobilised, into AfCFTA’s vision, ensuring finance strengthens integration, not fragmentation,” he added.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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