H.E. Amb. Amma Twum, Commissioner at the African Union Commission (AUC), has voiced strong support for the launch of the “Make Africa Borderless Now” campaign, calling it a historic initiative that advances the African Union’s integration agenda and Agenda 2063 aspirations.
She delivered these remarks at the Presidential & Business Leaders’ Dialogue, held on Day Three of the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD). The dialogue, held under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women & Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade,” took place at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Friday, 6th February, 2026.
Amb. Twum described free movement as the political and practical foundation of continental integration, inclusive growth, and shared prosperity. “A continent cannot trade freely if its people cannot move freely,” she said, noting that Africa is closer than ever to becoming a single market of over 1.4 billion people, yet unnecessary restrictions continue to slow entrepreneurs, stifle opportunity, and make Africans feel foreign in their own continent.
The Commissioner stressed that Africa was never meant to be a continent of borders but one of movement, and that the Make Africa Borderless Now campaign could accelerate the continent’s integration by complementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). “Goods do not cross borders alone. People carry them. Services do not scale without skills. Investment does not flow without mobility. A single market without free movement is a marketplace with locked doors,” she explained.
Highlighting the gender dimension, Amb. Twum urged the removal of barriers for women traders, who she described as the backbone of cross-border trade. “A borderless Africa means safer journeys, formalized enterprises, expanded markets, and increased incomes. When we remove barriers for women, we remove barriers to Africa’s growth.” She also underscored the importance of youth mobility, emphasizing that young Africans must find opportunity within the continent rather than risking dangerous journeys abroad.
Amb. Twum outlined the path to implementation, calling for not just ratification of the Free Movement Protocol but also its domestication through harmonized policies, simplified border procedures, and coordinated national and regional execution. She said a borderless Africa is not optional—it is essential, adding that regions that open responsibly grow faster, innovate more, and prosper broadly.
Through vivid examples, the Commissioner invited attendees to envision a truly integrated Africa, where innovators, women entrepreneurs, and SMEs operate seamlessly across borders—from Lagos to Accra to Addis Ababa. She reminded participants of the founding mission of the Organization of African Unity in 1963: to transcend borders rather than preserve them. “Africa’s borders may define our states, but they must never limit our future,” she declared.
Amb. Twum issued a clarion call to action: Africa will become borderless not because it is easy, but because history demands it. “This is the generation that refused to pass the burden of unity to the next. We are the generation that finished the journey,” she affirmed.
The Make Africa Borderless Now campaign, backed by the African Union, seeks to accelerate the implementation of free movement protocols, enabling the continent’s citizens, entrepreneurs, and SMEs to fully harness the economic potential of a united African market.