“Strong infrastructure is not optional,” said Mohammed Abdiker, Chief of Staff at the International Organization for Migration. “The ideal is a single border post between neighboring countries—that kind of vision makes trade and movement possible.” Abdiker pointed to successful examples: a one-stop border facility between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and another project—supported by the African Development Bank—linking the Central African Republic and Cameroon.
Liberia’s Commerce and Industry Minister, Magdalene Dagoseh, underscored the need for digitalization at border points. “Digitized services reduce delays, curb corruption, and raise transparency,” she said. Ziad Hamoui, president of the Borderless Alliance, pressed for stronger engagement with civil society, noting that the majority of cross-border commerce in Africa is informal and yet under-appreciated in policy design.
The forum also underlined the scale of the opportunity. With nearly 50 African countries having ratified the AfCFTA—creating a potential market of over 1.3 billion people—speakers stressed that the continent’s trade value remains stalled by weak infrastructure, inefficient procedures, and currency barriers.
Participants highlighted how the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is financing the building of one-stop border posts and trade facilitation centers. Two examples cited: the facility linking Kenya and Tanzania, and a juxtaposed checkpoint jointly managed by Benin and Togo.
Traversing these challenges, however, will require more than money: political will, institutional coordination, and sustained commitment are central themes. Panelists urged governments to prioritize border infrastructure, integrate multiple ministries (transport, trade, interior) and streamline stakeholder engagement—rural communities, traders, women and youth among them.
In closing remarks, the forum’s conveners reiterated that resilience in Africa is tied not only to the capacity to respond to shocks, but also to the strength of everyday systems—trade routes, border crossings, logistics networks—that underpin growth and stability.
As Abdiker remarked: “If goods and people cannot move freely, integration remains theory, not reality.” For investors, exporters, and communities alike, that message could define Africa’s commercial trajectory in the decade ahead.
