New York, September 29, 2025 – The Global Africa Forum 2025 (GAF), held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, has issued a resounding call for Africa to take bold steps towards economic self-reliance. Against the backdrop of intensifying global tariff wars, shifting geopolitics, and waning donor support, the forum united leaders, investors, and policymakers around a vision of a prosperous, integrated Africa beyond aid.
Organised by the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) in collaboration with the Africa America Institute, the AfCFTA Secretariat, KRL International, and the Rebranding Africa Forum, the event was themed “Africa’s Response to Tariff Wars: Building a Prosperous, Integrated Continent Beyond Aid.”
Africa’s Strength in Unity
The gathering emphasized Africa’s vast potential as a unified market through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the world’s largest single market project with 1.5 billion people. By aligning domestic and diaspora resources, the forum positioned Africa and its diaspora—regarded by the African Union as the continent’s “sixth region”—as key drivers of transformation.
“Africa’s accelerated path to prosperity lies in economic integration,” said Nana Adjoa Hackman, Executive Director of APN, stressing the importance of connecting resourceful Global Africans with Africa’s development agenda.
Mohamed M. Abou El Enein, Chairman of Cleopatra Group, echoed this, stating: “Africa is in my blood, Africa is in my brain… It’s very important for investors to see that this continent is connected together.”
Financing Africa’s Growth
A highlight of the forum was the promotion of the “Dollar-a-Day Initiative,” first introduced at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2025. Proposed by H.E. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the APN Advisory Council, the initiative seeks to mobilize daily micro-contributions from Africans and the diaspora into an infrastructure fund to bridge the continent’s $100 billion annual infrastructure deficit.
Amine Iddriss Adoum of AUDA-NEPAD called for a more strategic use of Africa’s annual $90 billion remittances, noting that most flows are not directed into productive investments.
Trade, Partnerships, and AfCFTA Implementation
Deliberations stressed Africa’s need for stronger negotiation strategies, regional value chains, and swifter AfCFTA implementation. U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick underscored Africa’s place in global trade, advocating for renewed engagement beyond extraction industries: “Africa is not just the future—it is today.”
However, leaders admitted structural barriers remain. Dr Amany Asfour of the Africa Business Council highlighted regulatory harmonisation as key to unlocking AfCFTA’s full potential. Others, such as Shelter Afrique Development Bank’s Vymala Thuron, pointed to high cross-border transaction costs and the urgent need to de-risk investments.
Governance and Diaspora Participation
Governance emerged as a recurring theme, with Ghanaian presidential aide Joyce Bawah Mogtari stressing: “If we want to make progress we need a fair justice system and equity. Ghana is open for business—but the right kind of business.”
The strong participation of Africans from the diaspora—particularly African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans—was seen as a milestone in shifting from remittances and charity to strategic investment and policy engagement.
Looking Ahead: APD 2026 in Accra
The forum concluded with the announcement of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2026, to be held from 4–6 February 2026 in Accra, Ghana, under the theme: “Empowering SMEs, Women & Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade.”
The outcomes of GAF 2025 will directly shape the next dialogues, ensuring that the bold ideas raised are translated into tangible policies, investments, and measurable results.
Credit: Eugene Nyarko Jnr.
