ABOUT 1,000 participants, including African leaders, policymakers and development partners, have converged on Accra for the African Summit 2025 with a renewed call for unity.
The purpose of the two-day event is to “move Africa from talk to action” on continental unity and development, and to build consensus among African leaders, institutions and stakeholders on deepening political and economic integration.
The summit will examine and propose reforms to African Union governance, institutions and policies to support a more united and effective continent.
President John Dramani Mahama, in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said Africa stood at a moment of both “extraordinary promise and sobering reality.”
He noted that although the continent was richly endowed with natural and human resources, including a population of about 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of 3.4 trillion dollars, it remained the poorest region in the world after decades of political independence.
President Mahama said Africa continued to grapple with weak intra-African trade, infrastructure deficits, limited industrial integration and excessive dependence on external markets and systems.
He warned that in a rapidly changing global environment marked by geopolitical rivalries, climate change, pandemics, digitalisation and artificial intelligence, Africa’s fragmentation had become a serious vulnerability.
He stressed that Africa must transform from being passive observers to active shapers of global outcomes through a united African voice, coordinated diplomacy and collective economic action.
According to him, integration enhances resilience, while disunity magnifies vulnerability.
The President described the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as one of the most ambitious economic integration projects in modern history and acknowledged the bipartisan efforts that led to its establishment and the siting of its secretariat in Ghana.
When fully implemented, he said AfCFTA could pull millions of Africans out of poverty, create jobs for the youth, expand industrial capacity and enhance Africa’s bargaining power in the global economy.
He cautioned that the success of AfCFTA would depend on the collective resolve of African states to dismantle non-tariff barriers, harmonise regulatory regimes, invest in trade-related infrastructure and support small and medium-sized enterprises to compete effectively across borders.
He added that strong and cohesive regional economic communities remained essential pillars of Africa’s integration architecture.
Summit Chair and Founder of the Centre for Strategic African Development, Mr Alan Kyerematen, said the gathering marked a symbolic turning point for Africa’s role in global leadership.
He stressed that Africa’s integration would not happen by chance but must be carefully and intentionally engineered.
He urged participants to use the summit to accelerate and intensify efforts towards continental unity.
Former President of Sierra Leone, Mr Ernest Bai Koroma, said it was an honour to speak in Ghana, the birthplace of Pan-Africanism.
He questioned whether Africa was truly building the unity envisioned by its founding leaders or merely talking about it without taking the hard decisions required.
He traced the roots of Pan-Africanism to the struggle against colonialism and said the idea of a united Africa remained a guiding vision rather than a falsehood.
While acknowledging challenges such as diversity, economic disparities, weak institutions and conflicts, he argued that unity is a continuous project that requires political will, economic integration and cultural affirmation.
Presiding Officer of the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council, Mr Louis Cheick Sisoko, described the summit as a bold and timely intervention to shape Africa’s development narrative.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG
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The post At The African Summit: African leaders renew calls for unity appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
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