Founder and Executive Chairman of Africa Prosperity Network (APN), Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has stated that to achieve the prosperity of the African continent, measures must be taken to guarantee the free movement of goods and services across its over 50 borders.
According to him, to bridge the continent’s existing infrastructure gap, the private sector must be engaged across the continent to drive the efforts aimed at building the requisite roads, railway lines, and air transport services, among others, to fast-track to the continent’s quest to achieve a single market.
Gabby Otchere-Darko made the call at the APN annual Partners’ Cocktail engagement ahead of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) 2025 and the Africa Prosperity Champions Awards (APCA) 2025 on Friday, 29 November 2024.
The highly anticipated Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD 2025), which will take place in Accra, Ghana, from Thursday, 30 January, to Saturday, 1 February 2025, will focus on finding tangible solutions to the continent’s infrastructure deficit.
APD 2025, organised by APN is on the theme, “Delivering Africa’s Single Market through Infrastructure: Invest. Integrate. Connect.”
Over 1,000 business leaders, captains of industry, entrepreneurs, and heads of government on the African continent are expected to participate in what will be the third (3rd) edition of the Dialogues.
Headline sponsors of APD 2025 (BADEA – Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, MTN, Planet One Group, Tetracore Energy Group, Devtraco Group Imperial Homes Shelter Afrique, MIIF, Myla Homes, JL Properties, Inc. Golden Coast Properties and Kasapreko PLC and our lead sponsor for the Africa Prosperity Champions Awards (APCA) 2025, Telecel Ghana.
He said, “We need to aggregate our worth, our work, the riches of our continent, the richness of our minds, and our potential. We need to find a way to somehow ignite what we have, working together — the politicians, business leaders, thought leaders — and all of us towards that singular goal of achieving the world’s largest single market,”
In a speech read on his behalf, Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of AfCFTA, said that “projections show that a fully implemented AfCFTA could create a market with combined consumer and business spending of $6.7 trillion by 2030 and $16.12 trillion by 2050” in Africa.”
He said that the theme of APD 2025 “is particularly relevant” because “infrastructure underpins the AfCFTA’s success by reducing the cost of trade and enabling the seamless movement of goods, services, and people.” But “without investments in transport corridors, energy systems, and digital networks, the full potential of the AfCFTA cannot be realised.”
“To bridge this gap, we call on all stakeholders to invest in Africa’s future. The private sector, in particular, has a critical role to play in unlocking infrastructure development through public-private partnerships (PPPs),” Mr Mene said.
Minister for Energy, Herbert Krapa, observed in his remarks that some of the most critical infrastructure projects on the African continent are in the energy sector.
Africa’s industrialisation and single market, according to Mr Krapa, will be powered by energy, and for that matter, the continent’s energy infrastructure must be at the forefront of deliberations at APD 2025.
Among others, Mr Krapa suggested that the APD 2025 ought to propose ways to harness Africa’s sustainable energy sector potential: develop solar and hydropower capacity; enhance cross-border energy collaboration, public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the energy sector, and tariff harmonisation; establish the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) and; harness the continent’s gas reserves to power its industry.
Charles Abani, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Ghana, said the UN is committed to supporting APN for its upcoming APD 2025. He observed that five key issues have recently captured the UN’s attention, and he believes that they should also be given attention at APD 2025.
They are sustainability financing, improving digitalisation infrastructure, improving food systems, creating jobs managing social protection, and addressing the need to trade among African countries.
Nana Adwoa Hackman, Executive Director of Events at the Africa Prosperity Network, stressed the significance of the Africa Prosperity Champions Awards (APCA).
“The Africa Prosperity Champions Awards were established to honour and celebrate the outstanding achievements of distinguished Africans across various sectors and global Africa,” she stated.
“This prestigious award scheme aligns with the Africa Prosperity Agenda, recognising individuals who have made significant contributions to the continent’s advancement and prosperity.”
Muhammad Gadda, Chief Operating Officer of Telecel Ghana, a headline sponsor, added; “We are proud to support an initiative that brings together policymakers, private sectors, and investors to enable growth and prosperity for Africa.”
Joseph Aidoo, Executive Director of Devtraco Group, offered profound insights into the infrastructure’s role in Africa’s development. “The theme of delivering Africa’s single market through infrastructure is not just aspirational but pivotal,” he remarked.
“If Africa were a giant puzzle, with each piece representing a country, a people, or a dream, infrastructure would be the glue that binds these pieces together, transforming a fragmented landscape into a unified masterpiece.”
Aidoo emphasised the critical challenges and opportunities in African infrastructure. “Africa’s infrastructure challenges are immense, but so are the opportunities,” he noted.
“By 2050, over 50% of Africa’s population will live in urban areas. This rapid growth presents both challenges and unprecedented opportunities for transformative investments.”
Miss Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary General Elect of the Commonwealth of Nations, provided a compelling vision for Africa’s future.
“We stand at a pivotal moment in our continent’s journey towards economic integration and shared prosperity,” she declared.
“The upcoming Africa Prosperity Dialogues represent a crucial step forward in addressing our continent’s infrastructure and cross-border challenges.”
She further emphasised the potential of collective action: “The path to Africa’s prosperity requires sustained commitment, innovation, and collaboration.
“Each conversation, each partnership, and each initiative brings us closer to realising our vision of Africa as the world’s largest single market.”
The Africa Prosperity Network (APN) is a not-for-profit organisation committed to the creation of prosperity for Africans and global Africans. APN’s Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) provide a trusted convening platform of best practices for knowledge sharing and results-oriented solutions to the challenges facing the African continent. As a continental platform, APN is the fuel that powers both the advocacy and implementation of these results-oriented solutions through strategic partnerships to deliver actionable policies that engender bankable projects.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) is an annual platform that convenes Africa’s leadership from both the public and private sector to engage, forge partnerships and commit to accelerating the creation of the continent’s single market as enshrined in the AfCFTA agreement for a prosperous Africa. APD provides the space for Africa’s political and business leaders to work closely together to shape, drive, and deepen intra-African trade and investments to achieve the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
