Christal M Jackson, a member of the Advisory Council of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), has presented a draft outcome document capturing key deliberations and commitments from the first two days of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) 2026, as the high-level forum entered its decisive third day in Accra.
Delivering a welcome address and presentation of the draft outcome document from Day One and Day Two at the Presidential & Business Leaders’ Dialogue, held on Day Three of the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD), Jackson told delegates that the past two days had gone beyond ceremonial speeches, stressing that the gathering had carried “conviction,” “urgency,” and a practical Pan-African ambition aimed at unlocking Africa’s single market.
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.
She noted that APD 2026, held under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate, Collaborate, Trade,” had confronted difficult realities about Africa’s economic integration journey.
“We have acknowledged a hard truth,” she said, pointing out that although small and medium-sized enterprises account for more than 80 per cent of employment across the continent, fewer than 20 per cent participate in cross-border trade.
Jackson also highlighted persistent barriers facing women and youth, stating that women entrepreneurs continue to face “disproportionate barriers to capital, markets and mobility,” while Africa’s youth remain innovative but often lack the support needed to scale their ideas into sustainable enterprises.
According to her, the discussions of Days One and Two were foundational because inclusion is not peripheral to AfCFTA’s success. “Inclusion is not a side conversation in the AfCFTA story. It is the AfCFTA story,” she emphasized.
Shifting attention to Day Three, Jackson described the day as the moment where dialogue must translate into action, featuring the Presidential and Business Leaders Dialogue.
“Day three is where the dialogue rises to the level of decision… where political will meets commercial,” she stated.
She added that Africa cannot afford another cycle of unimplemented commitments. “Africa needs an ecosystem of execution,” she declared.
A major highlight of Day Three, she announced, was the formal launch of the Make Africa Borderless Now Movement, a people-driven campaign calling for urgent implementation of AfCFTA protocols and reforms to ease trade and mobility across borders.
“This movement is not a slogan. It is a serious proposition,” Jackson said, warning that Africa cannot industrialize while markets remain fragmented or entrepreneurs remain constrained by barriers at borders.
She stressed that the Africa Prosperity Dialogues was designed as a platform for outcomes rather than speeches, describing it as “the boardroom of Africa,” where leaders must not only agree but act.
Presenting the draft outcome document, Jackson said it synthesizes recommendations from the SME Scale-Up Dialogue, the Women Prosperity Dialogue, and the Youth Prosperity Dialogue, alongside 13 associated breakfast meetings, all structured around the pillars of innovation, collaboration and trade.
Key recommendations from the Women Prosperity Dialogue included urgent domestication of the Protocol on Women and Youth to create enforceable state obligations, such as procurement quotas for women-led businesses, aligned with Ghana’s Affirmative Action Act.
The document also underscored the role of traditional authorities in reforming customary land tenure systems to enable women to secure bankable collateral, while proposing simplified trade regimes to legalize and facilitate small-scale informal cross-border trade.
In discussions on women driving the AfCFTA agenda, Jackson said panels exposed operational conflicts between domestic regulations and continental trade goals, including foreign exchange rules that compel dollar-based settlements, customs and tax frictions causing delays, and financing gaps for women-led enterprises.
Among the proposed solutions were reforms to central bank forex regulations to favour the Pan-African Payments and Settlement System (PAPSS), creation of customs “green channels” for expedited clearance, harmonization of double taxation agreements, and the establishment of a Women’s Development Bank to de-risk lending.
On value addition and export readiness, the outcome document identified compliance barriers such as packaging and labelling standards that cause SME products to be rejected at borders. It recommended harmonizing national standards with continental benchmarks and creating mutual recognition agreements to ensure certification across member states.
The SME Prosperity Dialogue further highlighted Africa’s estimated $330 billion annual SME financing gap, describing high interest rates and collateral-based banking as major obstacles to scaling.
Recommendations included expanding fintech solutions for alternative credit scoring, promoting warehouse receipt and supply chain finance models, establishing Pan-African venture debt funds, and creating a Pan-African SME Credit Guarantee Scheme spearheaded by the African Union, with deliberate prioritization of women- and youth-led businesses.
On free movement, the document called for immediate ratification and implementation of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, stressing that AfCFTA’s potential remains constrained by non-tariff barriers, cumbersome customs procedures, road harassment, and lack of payment interoperability.
Youth-focused sessions highlighted unemployment as one of the continent’s greatest challenges but framed Africa’s youth bulge as its strongest asset for transformation, particularly through the digital and creative economy.
The outcome document urged harmonization of digital trade regulations, stronger intellectual property frameworks, adoption of the AU Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection, and acceleration of negotiations on the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade.
It also proposed the establishment of a Pan-African Creative and Digital Content Exchange platform to facilitate licensing, distribution and monetization of African digital products, ensuring revenues are retained on the continent.
Another key recommendation was the creation of AfCFTA Industrialization Parks prioritizing youth inclusion, offering infrastructure and incentives linked to regional value chains, alongside youth representation on national AfCFTA implementation committees and the design of a youth venture capital fund for industrial innovation.
Jackson further commended the Government of Ghana for its commitment to Africa’s integration agenda, acknowledging the role of President John Mahama and senior officials, as well as institutional partners including the African Development Bank, Afreximbank, AUDA-NEPAD and others supporting APN’s borderless Africa campaign.
As APD 2026 moves into its final day, Jackson urged leaders to embrace a higher standard of delivery. “Not just inspiration, but implementation. Not just declarations, but delivery,” she said further.
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