President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has called for urgent and sweeping investment in Africa’s infrastructure to unlock the full potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In a Facebook post following his meeting with AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene, Mahama emphasised that without robust infrastructure from roads and rail networks to digital connectivity, the promise of the free trade agreement could be significantly undermined.
“Poor connections and links across the continent will continue to hinder the exchange of goods and services, slowing progress,” he warned. “These are the arteries of trade.”
Mahama, realising the vision of the African Union and NEPAD would require “proactive steps to open up our economies.”
Citing one of West Africa’s key transport corridors, he imagined the transformative impact of investing in routes such as the Abidjan-Lagos highway and extending it to Dakar. “It would create a seamless channel for trade, significantly boosting intra-African commerce,” he wrote.
Ghana currently hosts the headquarters of the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, a move Mahama described as a point of national pride. He reiterated Ghana’s commitment to supporting the Secretariat’s work and accelerating regional economic integration.
The AfCFTA, which aims to create the largest free trade area in the world by number of countries, is seen as a critical instrument for fostering economic growth and cooperation across Africa.
