He made this assertion during the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues on February 6, 2026. He argued that tightly guarded frontiers are not symbols of independence, but rather barriers that prevent Africa’s one billion young people from achieving prosperity. Tracing a timeline from the 1977 Africa Standards Organization to the 2018 launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Gabby Otchere-Darko pointed to a frustrating cycle of unfulfilled promises. 'Africa is bleeding and not at ease’ – Lumumba warns leadersBy 2040, an estimated 1.3 billion young Africans are expected to enter the workforce. Otchere-Darko warned that if governments fail to act decisively by opening borders and fostering innovation, this demographic shift could become a liability rather than an asset.

Source: GhanaWeb February 07, 2026 15:33 UTC