The government of Ghana has thrown its support behind the Trans-Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign, an initiative to promote a borderless Africa and visa-free movement across the continent.
The campaign, which began in Accra yesterday aims to raise awareness about African unity and the economic opportunities that can come from greater regional integration.
At the launch in Accra yesterday, the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, described the campaign as a journey to unite Africa and push for the removal of visa restrictions to help develop the continent.
He commended the organisers and their sponsors for championing such an important cause.
He said the government fully supported the vision of uniting Africans as one people and creating a larger market through free movement across the continent.
Campaigner, Mr Ras Mubarak, described the journey as one to unite Africa and push for the removal of visa restrictions, “With a population of 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion, he said the continent has the potential to become one of the world’s largest markets if countries trade more among themselves and allow free movement of people”.
“This journey is about urging Africans to see ourselves as one people with one destiny. It is going to take us 163 days, approximately 600 hours of driving, and 40,000 kilometres on the road. We will meet African heads of government, address the press in every country, and push for a borderless Africa,” he said.
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Mr Mubarak stressed that Africa loses many opportunities because of its dependence on imports from outside the continent.He gave the example of Lagos, Nigeria, with its population of 30 million people, and said Ghana could create thousands of jobs if it focused on producing food for that market alone.
According to him, Zambia produced large quantities of poultry, and Morocco, one of the biggest suppliers of fertiliser, yet African countries continued to import these products from Asia and Europe.
He also noted that young people in Africa were desperate for opportunities but limited by visa restrictions that made it easier to travel to Europe than to other African regions.
“It is more difficult for someone from Southern Africa to travel to West Africa than to travel to Turkey. This is because of visa restrictions. We want to change that,” he added.
Mr Mubarak thanked the sponsors and the media for their support, stressing that civil society and the public must also join the call.
He called for a quicker timeline than the African Union’s 2063 vision of a borderless Africa, saying the continent could not wait 40 years for young graduates to find opportunities. “We want to see a borderless Africa within the next five years, and it is possible. Other regions have done it, and we can too,” he said.
The campaign team will travel across the continent meeting leaders and presenting letters to urge governments to adopt visa-free policies, while also engaging the media to spread the message of African unity.
