Majority Leader of Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has called for the removal of travel and trade barriers across Africa, urging leaders to fast-track efforts towards a visa-free continent.
Speaking at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogue, held under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate, Collaborate, Trade”, Mr. Ayariga said the free movement of people and goods is critical to Africa’s economic growth.
“We want a visa-free Africa,” he stated, pointing to the benefits already being enjoyed within the sub-region.
“I have seen how a visa-free West Africa has been enormously supportive,” he added.
The Majority Leader also called for improved air connectivity across the continent, advocating for open skies policies.
“We want open African skies,” Mr. Ayariga said, adding that Africa should move towards “one African biometric passport” to facilitate easier travel for citizens.
He stressed the need for modern infrastructure to support young people and small and medium-sized enterprises operating across borders.
“Let’s build infrastructure that will enable our youth to trade digitally across borders and allow mobile money to operate seamlessly across countries,” he said.
Mr. Ayariga further noted that young Africans are demanding recognition of their academic qualifications across the continent.
“Our youth want their degrees recognised across Africa,” he stated.
According to him, Africa has made considerable progress at the regional level, particularly in West Africa.
“A lot of progress has been made, especially in West Africa,” he said, noting that his nearly decade-long service in the ECOWAS Parliament gave him first-hand experience of these achievements.
“Many of the demands being raised here are issues we worked on diligently, and in West Africa we already enjoy many of those benefits,” he added.
Mr. Ayariga said similar arrangements exist in other parts of the continent, including North, East, Southern and Central Africa, as well as across Francophone, Lusophone, Arab and Anglophone regions.
He noted that the next step is to integrate these regional gains so that all Africans can benefit simultaneously.
“What is needed now is for the various blocs to integrate the facilities they have granted to their citizens and allow all Africans to enjoy them,” he said.
Expressing confidence in the vision, Mr. Ayariga assured that Ghana’s Parliament is prepared to support the process.
“Our Parliament stands ready to walk the talk. We are prepared to pass all the agreements required to grant visa-free status to every African,” he added.
