In the move to deliver the African single market through infrastructure, integration and investment, the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Her Excellency Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang has charged all African leaders to invest collectively to build a robust and vibrate infrastructure to achieve its goal of interoperability.
She made this remarks during the official opening ceremony at the third edition of the African Prosperity Dialogue 2025 at the Accra International Conference Centre on Thursday, January 30.
According to Professor Naana Jane, besides connecting people and markets, the mandate to reset and accelerate Africans single market vision through infrastructure will also drive innovation and entrepreneurship.
In furtherance to this, Dr. Nkosozana Diamini Zuma, the Chairperson for African Prosperity Network(APN) Advisory council in her welcoming address called on African leaders to invest in infrastructure especially, the energy sector.
“To realize this vision, we must invest in connectivity and integration. Infrastructure is the lifeblood of any economy. It encompasses roads, railways, airways, and ports that connect our villages to our cities, and more importantly, link our countries together. But even more critical is the need for energy infrastructure because it powers our industries and drives our growth. Energy is the foundation of self-sufficiency, enabling us to thrive in global markets and unite Africa as one force.”
Dr.Zuma further urged Africans to manufacture and produce their own goods with their natural resources rather than limiting their ambitions to exporting raw materials.
“Africa cannot afford to simply export raw materials. We must unlock the potential of our ocean economy and manufacture the ships that will propel us forward. We must stop exporting unprocessed minerals and begin benefiting from the full value of our resources. This will make us price-setters, not price-takers. Beneficiating our minerals means that the wealth generated will remain within Africa, providing jobs and fostering economic growth,” she said.
The African Prosperity Dialogue 2025 is organized by the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) in collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to highlight the crucial role of infrastructure in making Africa a single market to drive economic integration.
