Ghanaian entrepreneur Nana Kwame Bediako has cautioned that Africa’s push for visa-free travel and borderless integration will remain incomplete unless governments first address deep structural and infrastructure gaps across the continent.
Speaking at the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) webinar marking Africa Day on Monday (25 May), Bediako said he was “not happy” with the current state of intra-African mobility, arguing that discussions on visa liberalisation often ignore the underlying economic and logistical realities.
He said Africa’s integration debate had focused too heavily on policy declarations without building the systems needed to support movement of people and goods.
“You can really see what is happening over there—Afrophobia… it is a culture of shame,” he said, linking restrictions on movement to broader governance and institutional weaknesses.
Bediako argued that Africa must first confront what he described as the “colonial code” underpinning its fragmented trade and administrative systems, noting that language barriers, regulatory fragmentation, and weak industrial bases continue to limit intra-African trade.
He also stressed that transport infrastructure remains a major constraint, saying that over-reliance on road networks makes continental trade inefficient and costly.
“We need to build coastal transportation… there are no goods that you can distribute by land more than by water or train,” he said, calling for investment in maritime and rail connectivity across West Africa and beyond.
Bediako further questioned the practical value of visa-free regimes without affordable intra-African travel and accommodation systems, warning that high transport and hospitality costs would continue to push Africans toward non-African destinations.
He concluded that Africa’s integration agenda requires joint action by governments and the private sector, particularly in industrial development and infrastructure planning.
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