Her Excellency Amma Twum-Amoah, the African Union’s (AU) Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, has called on African governments to implement free movement of persons and empower women, the youth and SMEs as essential steps toward continental integration and economic prosperity.
She made the during the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) 2026 at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Wednesday (4 February).
APD 2026 runs until Friday (6 February 2026) is convened under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade”. Stakeholders in the event are coming together to shape actionable policies, unlock bankable projects and advance inclusive prosperity under the AfCFTA.
Twum-Amoah declared that Africa’s largest single market, created through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), cannot reach its potential if people and enterprises are excluded from cross-border trade. She stressed that although Africa’s market spans 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding US$3 trillion, markets do not trade themselves – people trade, and enterprises drive growth.
“Africa cannot achieve prosperity while half of its potential remains underfinanced and underutilised. Empowering women and youth is not a social gesture – it is an economic strategy,” Ms Twum-Amoah said, highlighting how SMEs represent over 90% of all businesses and more than 80% of all employment across the continent, yet most remain local rather than continental by design.
Twum-Amoah urged all 55 AU member states to ratify the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, noting that to date only four have ratified while 32 have signed. The Commissioner called for bold action on key AU instruments, including the Single African Air Transport Market, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, and the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade. The era of signing agreements must now give way to the era of delivery and implementation, she said.
The Commissioner insisted that Africa’s prosperity will be built by its people, not imported. “The future of this continent will be written by the small business with a big idea, the young innovator bold enough to disrupt the status quo, and the woman entrepreneur transforming her community,” she said.
Twum-Amoah further called on leaders and stakeholders to move decisively from potential to productivity and from promise to prosperity, assuring them that a united and integrated Africa can shape the future of global trade.
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