African Prosperity Network (APN) and Ethiopian Airlines have begun discussions on a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating “Make Africa Borderless Now!”. On the agenda is a continental campaign for the full implementation of Africa’s Economic Integration Agreement.
The conference, held at the airline’s headquarters in Addis Ababa on Monday, focused on promoting the free movement of people, goods and services across Africa, and identified air transport as a key driver of integration and intra-African trade.
The campaign aims to persuade African governments to implement key protocols already adopted, including the Freedom of Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Establishment Protocol, and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). Although both protocols were adopted in 2018, they are not yet fully operational across the continent.
APN used the conference to invite Africa’s largest airline to become a key partner in the movement, which was launched in Accra earlier this month. The initiative aims to mobilize 10 million signatures demanding visa-free travel within Africa for Africans, implementation of the AfCFTA digital trade protocol, and widespread removal of trade and travel barriers.
Mr. Mesfin, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, expressed strong support for this initiative.
“We want to be part of this effort,” he said, acknowledging that visa restrictions remain a major impediment to transcontinental travel.
“Visas are an impediment to travel. But security is the main reason why visas are restricted across Africa, but security should be ensured in a different way than restricting the free movement of people, because when people move, they move with money for tourism, money for investment, or money to buy goods and services,” he said.
He stressed that a completely borderless Africa will not be achieved overnight, but that progress can be accelerated through deliberate cooperation. He added that greater freedom of movement would significantly increase intra-African trade and air cargo volumes.
Gaby Asare Otchere Darko, Executive Chairman and Founder of APN, emphasized the need for African central banks and regulators to enable mobile money interoperability across the continent. He said this would enable Africans to transact seamlessly across borders using mobile money wallets.
He cited security concerns under a visa-free regime and pointed to the example of ECOWAS, which operates a biometric passport system that allows member states to track movement within the region.
“So even without a visa, we can track people as long as they have a biometric ID. ECOWAS has that, and the much-awaited AU passport can do that too,” he said, adding that Rwanda’s visa-free policy for Africans shows that security concerns can be managed without restricting movement.
He also expressed concern about the slow pace of ratification of the Free Movement Protocol, noting that only four countries have signed it so far, fewer than the 15 needed for it to enter into force.
“It is not true that people outside the continent have better access to Africa and African economic opportunities than Africans,” he said, stressing that currently more Africans fly outside the continent than within it.
This initiative shows the growing momentum of “Make Africa Borderless Now!” This movement is increasing as stakeholders push to translate African integration ambitions into practical outcomes. Both parties indicated that further meetings would be held to define the scope of the potential partnership.
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