The Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) 2025, organized by the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) in collaboration with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, will kickstart the third round of the event from January 30 to February 1, 2025, at the Accra International Conference Centre in Accra, Ghana.
This year’s theme, “Delivering Africa’s Single Market through Infrastructure: Invest. Connect. Integrate,” has attracted over 3,000 participants from 46 countries, including several African heads of state, institutional heads, industry leaders, chief executives, entrepreneurs, ministers, policymakers, thought leaders, and development partners. The event will begin with a series of breakfast meetings focusing on critical areas and challenges aligned with this year’s theme.
The breakfast meetings will feature eight sessions, including workshops, presentations, panel discussions, and practical networking opportunities. Starting at 8:30 AM on January 30, these sessions will address challenges in sectors crucial to Africa’s economic integration and prosperity goals.
Sidig Faroug El Toum, Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), emphasized the importance of this year’s event during a press conference in Accra. He highlighted that the event seeks to champion infrastructure and development across the continent. “We hope there will be some signing among heads and leaders of organizations and partner nations during the event on agreements that will benefit Ghana and the rest of the continent,” he stated.
He also noted that the layout of the breakfast meetings reflects the private sector’s leadership in initiating the dialogues and driving AfCFTA’s single-market agenda. This approach highlights current opportunities for industry actors, including young and women entrepreneurs across the continent.
Chief of Staff at the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Rui Pedro Afonso Livramento, spoke on the progress made since the trade area’s launch, including the establishment of a solid institutional framework and growing trade through the Guided Trade Initiative. However, he acknowledged infrastructure as a critical bottleneck, especially in efficient transport and logistics, which accounts for 30 to 40% of intra-African trade costs and hinders small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
To address this challenge, the AfCFTA Secretariat is championing the establishment of trade aggregators to integrate SMEs into continental value chains, with Ghana, Egypt, Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa leading the way. Rui Pedro emphasized the importance of infrastructure development in realizing the AfCFTA vision of a single integrated market for goods, services, and investments across the continent.
“The Africa Prosperity Dialogue (APD) plays a crucial role in advancing the implementation of the AfCFTA and unlocking its full potential to drive Africa’s economic transformation. The AfCFTA Secretariat is committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to create an enabling environment for infrastructure development,” he said.
Rui Pedro also highlighted that APD 2025 will generate valuable insights and momentum to accelerate the shared vision of a prosperous and integrated Africa. “I encourage all stakeholders to join us in this event. Together, we can transform infrastructure into a driver of inclusive growth, connectivity, and integration across the continent,” he added.
