Borderless Africa Crucial to Single Market Success – AfCFTA Secretary-General

The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), H.E. Wamkele Mene, has underscored the importance of a borderless Africa as a cornerstone for the success of the continent’s single market integration, emphasizing that free movement of people is essential to Africa’s trade and economic transformation agenda.

Mr. Mene made the remarks during a media interview following a high-level closed-door meeting at the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) headquarters on Day Four of the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD), held on Saturday, 7 February 2026.

According to the AfCFTA Secretary-General, Africa cannot fully realise the benefits of the continental free trade area without significantly reducing travel restrictions among its member states. He stressed that the concept of free movement should no longer be viewed as aspirational but as an urgent necessity for continental development.

“Borderless Africa is essential to the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area,” he stated.

Mr. Mene highlighted the African Union Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons as a critical legal framework already established to support seamless mobility across the continent. However, he expressed concern over the low level of ratification, noting that only four out of the African Union’s 55 member states have so far endorsed the protocol.

“I regret that the protocol has been ratified by only four countries out of 55, which shows there is still significant work to be done to make free movement of persons a reality,” he said.

Despite the slow progress at the continental level, Mr. Mene commended countries that have independently adopted policies to ease intra-African travel.

He cited Ghana’s visa-on-arrival policy for all Africans, as well as similar initiatives by Nigeria, Rwanda and Kenya, as positive examples of national leadership advancing the borderless Africa agenda.

“These countries have taken meaningful steps on their own to promote the free movement of persons,” he noted, while acknowledging that many others are yet to implement comparable reforms.

Mr. Mene described it as deeply concerning that Africans continue to face restrictive visa regimes within their own continent, arguing that such barriers undermine the objectives of AfCFTA and limit economic opportunities for businesses, entrepreneurs and workers.

“It is regrettable that Africans cannot travel to up to 90 percent of African countries without a visa,” he said, calling for urgent policy reforms.

He further stressed that sustained progress will depend on stronger political will and deeper engagement by African leaders, particularly through coordinated action at the level of heads of state within the African Union framework.