President John Dramani Mahama is urging African governments to prioritize strategic infrastructure investment to fully harness the economic potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In a meeting with Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Mr. Mahama underscored the importance of transport and digital infrastructure as critical enablers of intra-African trade. He argued that underdeveloped road and rail networks continue to limit the effectiveness of regional trade agreements and hinder broader economic integration across the continent.
“The vision of the African Union’s NEPAD initiative requires bold and proactive investment to integrate our economies more effectively,” Mr. Mahama said.
He cited the Abidjan-Lagos corridor — the busiest trade route along the West African coast — as a case in point. “If we expand and modernize this corridor, and eventually link it to Dakar, we could establish a seamless trade route that drives down costs and unlocks substantial economic value,” he added.
Mr. Mahama also pointed to growing trade between Ghana and landlocked neighbors such as Burkina Faso and Mali. He noted that improved infrastructure would boost transit trade and strengthen Ghana’s role as a commercial gateway to the Sahel region.
His remarks come as African policymakers seek to overcome structural barriers to the AfCFTA, which promises to create a single market encompassing 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of over $3.4 trillion.
Mr. Mahama’s intervention reflects a growing consensus among African leaders: that the success of the continent’s free trade ambitions hinges not just on policy frameworks, but on the physical and digital arteries that connect them.
