Speaking at the just-ended Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2026, Gabby Otchere-Darko, executive chairman and founder of the Africa Prosperity Network, criticized African leaders for what he described as a long-standing pattern of meeting, signing treaties, and failing to implement them, warning that the consequences are threatening the continent’s future.
He said Africa’s biggest challenge is not the lack of ideas or agreements but the persistent failure to act on decisions already taken by its leaders. Referencing the 1991 Abuja Treaty, he recalled that African leaders agreed to establish an Economic Community of Africa, including a single currency and a continental central bank within 34 years. According to him, that timeline brings Africa to 2028, yet little progress has been made toward achieving those goals.
He noted that the lack of commitment to execution has become a recurring theme in Africa’s development journey. At the Africa Prosperity Dialogues, Gabby Otchere-Darko also cited the January 2018 meeting in Addis Ababa, where African leaders signed the Free Movement Protocol, followed two months later by the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement in Kigali.
He explained that while 15 countries were required to ratify the Free Movement Protocol, only four signed, with two of those countries—Mali and Niger—later suspended from the African Union, effectively leaving just two valid signatories. According to him, this trend of repeatedly signing new treaties while neglecting previously agreed ones must come to an end if Africa is serious about progress.
“We need to say enough is enough,” he stressed. “A lot of thought has gone into these treaties and protocols. These are the things that can move our continent forward, yet we feel content protecting borders as if our sovereignty depends on them.”
Gabby Otchere-Darko argued that Africa’s rigid borders are not strengthening sovereignty but weakening it by limiting economic leverage and opportunities for citizens. He said true sovereignty is only meaningful when it delivers dignity and economic empowerment to the people.
The Africa Prosperity Network founder warned that Africa’s greatest threat today is youth unemployment. He revealed that the continent currently has about one billion young people, a number that is rapidly growing. By 2040, Africa’s population is expected to reach about 2.1 billion, with an estimated 1.3 billion people forming the workforce, potentially the largest in the world. However, he cautioned that African economies are not structured to absorb this growing labor force.
“It’s a dangerous space we are entering,” he said at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues, questioning how African governments intend to create jobs for millions of frustrated young people if current economic systems remain unchanged. He further criticized Africa’s inward-looking border policies, especially at a time when global powers are forming strategic economic alliances. He cited a recent free trade agreement between the European Union and India, driven largely by India’s population size and market potential.
Gabby Otchere-Darko urged African leaders to rethink the meaning of sovereignty, insisting that it should be measured by the dignity and opportunities afforded to citizens, not by closed borders and unimplemented agreements.
