President John Dramani Mahama has met with Comoros President Azali Assoumani at the Jubilee House to discuss strategies for enhancing continental integration and cooperation.
The leaders exchanged views on various initiatives aimed at making Africa a more interconnected and prosperous continent.
President Mahama in the meeting highlighted the growing trend of visa-free arrangements among African countries, which facilitate the free movement of people.
“In Ghana, we believe that African people should be able to move freely across our continent. That’s why we have introduced visa-free arrangements for many holders of African passports”.
Beyond the movement of people, President Mahama emphasized the importance of free movement of goods and intra-African trade.
“We Africans must learn to trade more amongst each other”.
He underscored Ghana’s commitment to supporting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, which is hosted in Accra.
“Ghana takes seriously the honour given us by Africa to host the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area. That is why Ghana is doing everything to support the secretariat”.
President Mahama, however, pointed out the need for appropriate infrastructure to facilitate trade within Africa.
“Goods cannot move without the appropriate infrastructure—railways, aviation, and maritime transport. So far, the routes of trade are between us and our colonial masters. Our trade infrastructure is not between ourselves,” he noted.
He highlighted the inefficiencies in the current trade routes, where goods might have to go through Europe before reaching another African country.