Ghana’s Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called on African leaders to coordinate efforts in eliminating barriers hindering intra-continental trade.
“Removing these impediments is not just a moral imperative, it is an economic necessity,” she said at the opening of the 2025 Africa Prosperity Dialogues in Accra.
The Vice President emphasized that for Africa to achieve its goal of a single market, prioritizing infrastructure development, including transport and digital technologies, was crucial
“Without transportation and means of it, without energy, systems that connect our cities, our countries, our regions, without the movement of goods and services in guaranteed ways people might remain, or our homes might remain a challenge,” she said.
Citing a World Bank report, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang noted that while Africa had made significant strides in eliminating infrastructure and trade barriers, interconnectedness remained a challenge.
She further pointed out that power supply was one of the continent’s most pressing infrastructure gaps, with over 30 countries experiencing frequent power outages.
Prof. Opoku-Agyeman called for stronger regional collaborations between governments and the private sector to address these issues, stating that “the time has come to forge stronger partnerships with the private sector.
Working together, we can break these gaps and drive both growth and transformation.”
“Since independence, Ghana has remained steadfast in its commitment to Africa’s integration and unity.
Today, we continue to champion this cause by actively supporting initiatives such as the after which is headquarters here in Accra,” she said.
Mr. Alex Apau Dadey, Executive Chairman of the KGL Group, Ghana, stressed the importance of leveraging public-private partnerships (PPPs) to address market fragmentation across the continent.
Citing a successful example in Ghana, he noted that a PPP led to significant capital injection into the country’s lottery sector and resulted in annual government savings of GHS30 million through the automation of petroleum distribution in the fisheries sector.
“Governments do not create wealth but the private sector.
Therefore, there is the need to create an enabling environment for them to thrive,” Mr Dadey, said.
