The Africa Prosperity Dialogue (APD) 2026 will serve as the launchpad for a continent-wide advocacy campaign aimed at advancing free movement and economic integration across Africa, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), Gabby Otchere-Darko, has announced.
Speaking to 1957 News, Otchere-Darko said APD 2026 will lead the “Make Africa Borderless Now” campaign, a year-long movement seeking to mobilise at least 10 million signatures from Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. The petition will be presented to the African Union (AU) Summit in 2027.
According to him, the initiative is designed to shift Pan-Africanism from elite diplomatic forums to popular civic action, compelling African leaders to implement long-standing treaties and protocols they have already endorsed.
“For decades, our leaders have met at summits, signed treaties and protocols on free movement, economic integration and unity, but they have lacked the political will to implement them,” he said. “We want to take Pan-Africanism from the confinement of the elite to the people.”
Presidency backs APD 2026
Mr Otchere-Darko confirmed that Ghana’s presidency is backing APD 2026, noting that presidential support is institutional rather than personal.
“The presidency is an institution,” he said. “President Akufo-Addo supported it, and we are grateful that his successor, President John Mahama, has shown similar support.”
He explained that collaboration with the presidency is particularly critical for protocol and coordination, given the expected participation of African heads of state, ministers, and leaders of major continental and multilateral institutions, including the African Development Bank.
He added that the APN is working closely with the Office of the Chief of Staff to ensure the smooth organisation of the 2026 dialogue.
From treaties to lived reality
Otchere-Darko argued that despite landmark frameworks such as the 1963 OAU founding, the 1991 Abuja Treaty, and more recent AfCFTA protocols, ordinary Africans remain unable to enjoy the benefits of continental integration.
“They signed up to an African passport—do you have one? They signed up to free movement—can you travel across Africa without a visa? They signed up to digital trade under AfCFTA—can you send money seamlessly across African borders? The answer, for most Africans, is no,” he said.
He stressed that both physical and psychological borders continue to restrict movement, trade, and opportunity, particularly for young Africans.
At the heart of the campaign, Otchere-Darko said, is the belief that Africa’s development hinges on unlocking mobility for people, capital and ideas.
“If we remove borders and allow young people to unleash their talents anywhere on the continent, allow businesses to operate freely, manufacture, add value and sell across Africa, that is how we build the Africa we want,” he stated.
He described the Africa Prosperity Network as a pan-African institution driven by a diverse team drawn from across the continent, including Sudan, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Gabon, and Morocco.
“We have a shared agenda,” he said, noting that APD 2026 will reflect that continental diversity and urgency.
Petition to AU Summit 2027
The first phase of the Make Africa Borderless Now campaign will run for one year, culminating in the presentation of the petition to the AU Summit in 2027.
Mr Otchere-Darko expressed confidence that the petition would be well received, particularly if President John Mahama assumes the AU chairmanship by then.
“We expect that the petition will be received in good faith and used to push the momentum needed to implement what African leaders have already agreed to but delayed,” he said.
APD 2026 is expected to convene political leaders, policymakers, business executives, and civil society actors around practical strategies for accelerating Africa’s economic integration and shared prosperity.
