Africans still face greater restrictions travelling within their own continent than many foreigners, undermining decades-old ambitions for unity and economic integration, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) has said.

Otchere-Darko said colonial-era borders continue to constrain mobility, trade and cooperation more than 60 years after the founding of the Organisation of African Unity.

“Africans still face more difficulty travelling across Africa than many foreigners face entering our continent,” he said during the AU Day webinar organised by the Africa Prosperity Network on Monday (25 May).

He noted that while progress has been made through regional blocs and the creation of the African Union, markets remain fragmented and mobility restricted.

Otchere-Darko pointed out that only a handful of African countries currently offer visa-free access to fellow Africans, and just a few have ratified the AU Free Movement Protocol adopted in 2018.

He welcomed recent steps by Ghana and Togo to ease travel restrictions but said more countries must act to meet continental targets, including the creation of a single market by 2028.

“A single market cannot function if Africans themselves cannot move freely,” he said.

He called on African governments to implement agreements they have already signed, warning that without decisive action, integration efforts risk stalling.