Visa-free Africa can unleash a $3.3 trillion market and jobs – Mubarak, Team Lead, Trans-African Tourism and Unity Campaign

As Africa eyes the vast promise of the $3.3 trillion African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a bold Pan-African campaign is demanding visa-free travel across the continent to unlock trade, tourism, and job creation for its 1.4 billion citizens. Leading this ambitious charge is Ras Mubarak, a former Ghanaian lawmaker, journalist, and lifelong advocate for African unity. A self-described “disciple of Kwame Nkrumah”, Ghana’s first president and a pioneer of African independence, Mubarak made history as the first Member of Parliament in Ghana to successfully sponsor a private member’s bill. He also served as Head of the National Youth Authority under President John Mahama and previously worked as a journalist. Now, Mubarak is spearheading the Trans-African Tourism and Unity Campaign—an eight-member team of non-state actors on a 163-day road journey across 39 countries—rallying governments and civil society around a simple idea: Africans should be able to travel freely within their own continent. In this exclusive interview with BusinessDay’s Onyinye Nwachukwu, Abuja Bureau Chief, and Ojochenemi Onje, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Mubarak, speaking during the Nigeria leg in Abuja, shares the campaign’s vision and urgency. “African leaders must act decisively—now, not in 2063. “Africa’s time is now,” he says.

…EXCERPT

Can you give us a quick overview of the Trans-African Tourism and Unity Campaign?

The Trans-African Tourism and Unity Campaign is an initiative backed by the government of Ghana, and the objective is to promote a visa-free policy for all Africans who hold African passports. We are driving through 39 African countries over the course of 163 days, all things being equal. Throughout the journey, we are engaging with heads of government, policymakers, the media, and civil society to ensure we are all on the same page, because this has been long overdue. The unification of Africa is very crucial, and we are using this campaign as a non-state support to complement what has already been done by individual countries and regional blocs. The goal is to ensure Africa is open and that our borders are broken down so all Africans can travel freely within the continent without visa restrictions.

How many countries have you visited already?

Nigeria is our fourth country. From Nigeria, we’re heading to Cameroon, then to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and onwards. From Gabon, we’ll go to Congo, then the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. From there, we head to Malawi, then Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania, and drive to Ethiopia.
From Ethiopia, we’ll come back to Central Africa to cover the Central African Republic, then move on to Chad and Niger, and drive for 40 hours from Niger to Algeria. From Algeria, we head to Morocco, then Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in January. We should be in Sierra Leone from the 10th to the 13th of January 2026, then from the 14th we’ll be in Liberia for three days, followed by Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and finally Ghana.

Who’s bankrolling this campaign?

Bankrolling is such a big word. Don’t give the impression that we are carrying bags and bags of money around because we are not. However, we have contributions from individual members of the campaign, and there are eight of us. Of course, there are agencies and institutions like the National Investment Bank of Ghana, the Gold Board of Ghana, Glyco (which is an insurance company, so they have insured vehicles and given us personal insurance), Del Cielo, the Ghana Investment Promotion Council, the Ghana Free Zones Authority, the National Lotteries Authority, and Stanbic Bank Ghana, among others. We’re encouraging Nigerian companies to come on board because this isn’t just a Ghanaian initiative—it’s a pan-African campaign. Businesses across the countries we’re passing through should be inspired to support in any way they can. Some have already offered hotel accommodations, and others could assist by servicing our vehicles or providing fuel. Every contribution counts. At its core, this campaign is about doing our part for Africa. Our forebears fought hard for political independence; now, our generation must push for economic independence. It’s time to grow our economies, uplift our people, and demonstrate that prosperity is possible on our own terms. Trade, tourism, and cultural exchange are the engines that will drive this progress. Africa has been held back for too long. With our abundant natural resources and immense human capital, there’s no excuse—we must rise, and we must do it together.

Africa is home to 1.4 billion people and boasts a combined GDP of $3.3 trillion—an immense market by any standard. Take West Africa alone: with roughly 450 million consumers, the economic potential is staggering. For producers of rice, fertiliser, textiles, or vehicles, the opportunity to scale and expand is enormous. And with growth comes jobs—exactly what millions of young Africans need as they leave school and search for meaningful employment. I’ve said it repeatedly: Africans have no excuse not to succeed. The leaders who champion a visa-free Africa will be remembered as visionaries. Those who don’t will face the judgement of history. Legacy matters. The African Union’s Agenda 2063 is important, but Africa’s youth cannot afford to wait four more decades. We believe a visa-free continent is achievable by 2030—just five years from now. It’s not a dream; it’s already happening. Benin grants visas on arrival to all Africans, allowing 90-day stays. Kenya has followed suit, opening its borders to all Africans to visit, stay, and do business.

We want Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, and all African countries to do the same so we can trade more amongst ourselves. Because really, it is about us. Others don’t care about us, and that’s a fact. America has its “America First” agenda, and Europe prioritizes itself, too. So the interest of Africa should be paramount. That means working together and breaking down the barriers that restrict us from reaching each other. But for the events of 1884–85, when Europeans sat in Germany and drew lines between our countries, we were one continent. Now in Nigeria, when I look at my brothers and sisters, I don’t see any difference from Ghanaians, Ugandans, or South Africans. We should not allow colonial boundaries to stop us from working together. Our youth are looking for opportunities, for jobs. These jobs won’t come if we remain inward-looking. They will come if we open the doors, create avenues, and allow people to thrive in business and cultural exchanges. It’s exciting to learn each other’s cultures. For instance, we just ate masa with alefu. In Ghana, we eat masa with porridge, but it’s interesting to see Nigerians eat it with soup. We can only learn this if we travel. But right now, it’s very difficult for someone from Southern Africa to come to Nigeria or Ghana, or for West Africans to go south. Why should this be when we are one people, one continent, one destiny? We should be aiming toward one currency and one African passport, so our people can travel freely across 54 countries without changing money into Naira in Nigeria or CFA in Benin. Imagine the impact of one currency and one powerful African passport. It is possible. We can do it. And we’ve got to send a strong message to the world that Africa’s time is now. The leaders must embrace the change that is coming.

Nigeria is your fourth stop—how has the campaign been received here and in the previous countries?

I can tell you that the response so far has been very encouraging. We’ve met with high-level government officials in Togo and in Benin. And sadly, at the time we went to these countries, including Nigeria, your president, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was in Brazil. So we were unable to meet up with him. But we’ve left a letter behind, which will be conveyed to him through our high commissioner in Abuja. We also noted the absence of Benin’s president, His Excellency Talon, and the leaders in Togo. Because in these countries, it is a holiday season for them, and the government is on recess. So, pretty much everybody is travelling. But we understand the tight schedules of our Excellencies, and we don’t mind meeting ministers who can equally convey a message of wanting a united Africa to their Excellencies for implementation. Our people need it, and the time is now.

Who have you met so far here in Nigeria?

In Nigeria, a meeting has been set up with the tourism minister and the Honourable Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Because, as you may be aware, the president is out of the country. He’s out with his minister for information, his foreign minister, and a lot of officials. Normally, when Excellencies travel like that, they go with their ministers so that they can negotiate certain things in terms of trade deals, et cetera. We understand these challenges, and we are not discouraged by the fact that we met the absence of the leader of Nigeria. And even if he was in the country, one must understand that the schedules of leaders are fluid. They can change rapidly, given the nature and the weight of the job that they are undertaking. The most important thing is that we’ve been here. We’ve engaged the media extensively. The media would echo the message. And I believe that His Excellency gets briefings every morning in respect of what the media in the country is saying. So obviously, he may have heard about the campaign. And even if he has not heard about it, certainly the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria will be presenting our letter on our behalf to him when he returns to the country.

The other thing I want to say is that this is a grassroots movement. We are non-state actors. What we are doing is simply to complement the work of state agencies; ordinarily, this should be the work of state agencies. This should be the job of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the East African Community (EAC), the African Union, and the various countries. But as young Africans, we believe that the process is slow. And so we are selflessly dedicating ourselves, leaving our families behind, and traversing through Africa to send a message of positivity to our people. It is possible in Africa. I have no doubt in my mind about that.

From an economic standpoint, how do you see this campaign boosting tourism, trade, and investment across Africa—and what impact could it have on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)?

To be honest, I don’t want to talk about AfCFTA, because I don’t really know what they are doing. They are bogged down in bureaucracy. What needs to be done is that we need to mobilise the masses of our people as non-state actors to get this done. But in terms of impact, the impact is monumental. In terms of tourism revenue, currently, the global tourism revenue is in trillions of dollars. Africa makes about $1.9 billion of that figure annually. We have no doubt in our minds that we can quadruple that figure. And I say this having travelled through several countries around the world and knowing what the impact of tourism is. I’m happy to say that Nigeria is a shining example, given what you have done in Abuja. Abuja is a green city. It’s a city of the future. Abuja is clean. It can be cleaner. I’m not saying it’s perfect. But no city is perfect. No country is perfect, whether it’s Europe or North America. You go to Canada, you arrive in Toronto, and the streets are filled with junkies who are high on one form of drug or another. There are places in the U.S. you cannot go to in the evening, because gunshots are ringing and welcoming you. That is a reality. And these are the realities that you would not see on TV.

If you go to London, there’s knife crime all over the place; it’s unsafe. But more often, it is the negative things that happen in Africa that get highlighted, while these people ignore their own problems. No country is perfect, but we need, as Africans, to strive for perfection. The fact that no country is perfect does not mean that we should be content with where we are. We can do better. We can go greener. We can improve the lives of our people and rid our streets of plastic pollution, etc. So, in terms of revenue, the opportunities are massive. $1.9 billion can be quadrupled in tourism revenue, in cultural exchanges, and in trade. It’s just enormous. If you look at Morocco, the biggest supplier and producer of fertiliser in Africa, why should Africans go to Ukraine and import fertiliser? We are actually disadvantaging our own people. Why can’t Nigeria say, ‘We want to be the country that produces sugar for the whole of Africa or even rice’? Why can’t another country say, “We want to be the Mecca of ICT in Africa, the Silicon Valley of Africa”? These things we can do. The market is so big, the pot is so big, that if we all carve a niche for ourselves, we could benefit from each other immensely.

South Africa is doing very well in defence and in science and technology. We could tap into that and help build our respective countries. Because really and truly, the rest of the world does not give a damn about Africa. The sooner we get this in our heads, the better for us. The sooner we realise that the donor funding and the loans we are getting from them end up actually impoverishing us, because they come with all manner of conditionalities – downsize employment, increase taxes, etc. – the better. These are some of the things that the IMF would always come back to us and prescribe. But we’ve got everything it takes to make this continent work, to create millions of jobs for our people to prosper. Africa is so rich, whether it’s the weather, arable land, or the natural resources. But even those without natural resources are doing well. You just need to go to the Republic of Benin, right next door to Lagos, to know that even without natural resources, we can make it. So you can imagine countries such as Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria. We’ve got no business not to get it right.

You’re driving across 39 African countries in 163 days, which is a huge undertaking. Beyond the symbolism of this journey, what specific commitments are you hoping to secure from the governments during this trip?

This is a very good question. The commitment would be that heads of government in Africa would agree that, indeed, in the next five years, they want to see visa-free policies in their countries. For us, that would be a definition of success. A successful campaign would mean African leaders making commitments, not by the AU standards of 2063. There are many Africans who will not be around by 2063. It’s been a long time. Why wait until 2063 to make it happen when we can do it in five years? And the security concerns that countries have expressed are actually things we can all work together to overcome. In 2025, there’s new technology; there’s drone technology. We can share intelligence. We’re even sharing intelligence with America and Europe. Why can’t we share intel with our own people to make sure our borders are secure, to equip our border patrol officers and immigration officials, and to give them the right tools to deal with crime within the borders?

We are committed to following through the journey, to making sure that we conclude it. And even beyond the 163 days, we want to be sure we present reports to all heads of government, reports of what we have discovered along the way. This is what the sons and daughters of Africa are saying: these things need to happen now. And I say this directly to our leaders in Africa: if we don’t get it right, you may not have countries to govern. If the young men and women cannot find jobs, the devil will find jobs for them. It has become crucial and urgent to do the things that will keep young people busy so they don’t get dragged into extremist activities. Many of them are in what they are in simply because there are no sustainable jobs. They’re struggling, there are no opportunities, and they’ve lost hope. We’ve got to give African youth hope and create the enabling environment for them to shine. For instance, one of the things we plan to do when the curtain is drawn on the campaign and we return to Accra is to institute a Pan-African annual event that countries in Africa can bid to host. There, we would showcase the best innovative ideas for the year, drawing young Africans who want to create, solve real problems, compete, and get funding from companies like Dangote, Mo Ibrahim, and several others who want to see Africans thrive.

We can also have competitions for who has the best food in Africa, the best dance, and the best music. These are things that would keep young people engaged. The youth are very creative, full of energy, and brimming with ideas on social media. But they don’t have structured programmes to harness their energy, talent, and ingenuity. That’s what we want to build as a long-term plan, something like an “African Innovation Cup of Nations” where youth can showcase ideas, compete, and secure funding. These are the things that will make young people feel a sense of belonging. Too many Africans, whether footballers, musicians, actors, or even journalists, are despondent. There is a lot of work to do. And if leaders like Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Modibo Keita, and Jomo Kenyatta sacrificed their youth and their lives for independence, the least we can do is spend 163 days travelling across Africa to preach a message of unity and visa-free mobility.

Once upon a time, missionaries traversed countries preaching the gospel. As Africans, this is what we need to do: reawaken our people’s consciousness. Africa is not a dark continent. We are not third-world. We are proud people, a rich continent. Our resources have been exploited long enough, but we say enough is enough. We want Africans to control the gold mines in Congo, the oil rigs in Nigeria, and the cocoa and gold mines in Ghana. If we gave back control of these institutions to our own people, we would prosper. We’re not against foreigners coming here, but when they do, they make money and take it away, leading to massive capital flight that drains our economies. That is why we must act now. The sooner we do the work, the better for Africa.

You’ve emphasised job creation and cultural unity as core goals of this campaign. Could you elaborate on the specific types of employment opportunities you foresee emerging—whether in aviation, hospitality, logistics, or other sectors?

This is a straightforward question and a straightforward answer. If tourism is booming, obviously, you would get young people working as tour guides. People would want to stay in hotels, which means hotels could get oversubscribed, which in turn creates a greater need for businesses and individuals to build more hotels. And that means employing more young people, plumbers, electricians, chefs, cleaners, drivers, you name it. There’s a whole chain of benefits that come from tourism, especially intra-African tourism. If it’s cultural tourism, for instance, we come here talking about the Masala or Alefu, and someone listening or watching might decide they want to visit Nigeria to try Alefu, or Amala, or Eba, or pepper soup. Maybe even jollof. The truth is, Nigeria has a lot to showcase.

And I think my Nigerian brothers and sisters should really put energy into encouraging people to visit Lagos and Abuja. Abuja is beautiful, and Lagos is phenomenal; what Lagos represents is extraordinary. It embodies the tenacity and endurance of the Nigerian people who, despite the challenges, face their struggles with boldness and even with a smile. That’s inspiring. And for us as Africans, we need that encouragement too. We must not be despondent about our situations, but governments also have a responsibility to do the right thing, empowering people and finding solutions to their problems. Whether it’s access to clean water, stable electricity, or other basic services, there’s no excuse. It has to be done now. And we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Nigeria has sunshine all year round. If power isn’t stable, we can turn to solar and wind.

The opportunities to do great things are immense. And I’ll share this idea; I don’t mind sharing it because if Nigeria picks it up and makes it work, it will be for the good of all my African brothers and sisters. The government could decide to encourage the public, whether hotels, companies, or especially small businesses, to go solar. They could even promise to buy back any excess energy generated. People could retrofit their homes to produce solar power because homes have the capacity. We have abundant sunshine. If Norway, a country with very little sun, is building solar panels, then what excuse do we have? And since the government doesn’t have enough money to fix all the problems at once, it could incentivise people to produce their own energy through solar and even sell some back to the grid. I believe the public would embrace this idea.

Beyond energy, other areas need urgent attention. Take discipline on the roads; chaos is not just in Nigeria. Even in Cairo, the traffic can be overwhelming. In Ghana, too, we face rising road accidents. Governments could empower the police with clear incentives: clean up the system, enforce discipline, and in return, here are the rewards. That way, we can gradually rebuild public confidence. When it comes to public policy, the range of issues is vast – everything from agriculture to energy, from archaeology to zoology. The important thing is that we must be willing to share ideas with the public and with the government so that Africa can grow.

Let me also say this: I have really enjoyed my stay in Nigeria. And I must add, Nigeria is actually kinder to the pocket. As a Ghanaian visiting here, I find the cost of living more manageable than back home. Nigerians may be feeling the pinch, but compared to some other countries, your situation is still relatively better. Of course, there are positives and there are negatives. What we need to do is fix the negatives, strengthen the positives, and together build the Africa we want. By 2063, forty years from now, long after we’ve hopefully achieved a visa-free Africa within the next five years, we should be seeing a continent with minimal corruption. Just recently, a Dutch government minister resigned because his cabinet wouldn’t support sanctions against Israel. That’s a politician standing on principle and integrity. How many African politicians would do the same? These are lessons we can learn and adopt to help build stronger, more accountable countries.

Are you concerned that a visa-free Africa could have negative impacts in terms of security, policing, etc.?

Look, nobody really wants to live in another person’s country. If people are leaving, it’s usually just temporary, to make some money and then return home. That’s why we must improve security and, most importantly, the living conditions of our people. If life in Nigeria were better, who would want to go and live in Trinidad and Tobago, so far from home? Who would want to go to the Philippines? I’ve seen Nigerians in those places. Who would want to go to Finland, in such extreme cold, or to all these faraway places, if conditions at home were right? This is where I sometimes get into trouble, because too often Africans think it’s only the government’s job. But it’s not. You have to be the change you want to see in Nigeria. I have to be the change I want to see in Ghana. Someone else, in Congo or Mali, has to be the change they want in their own country. If we all do our part, brick by brick, we can build stronger nations. Because at the end of the day, who is the government? The government is us. Power rests with the people. The president is there because the people gave him power, and the people can also take that power away if he fails to deliver.

Unfortunately, many Africans don’t realise the power they have. You have the power to vote out a senator who isn’t doing the job and elect one who will. Politicians can try to bribe all they want, but if the people say no, it won’t work. That’s the mindset we must carry: Africa belongs to us. Nigeria belongs to Nigerians. Ghana belongs to Ghanaians.
Think about it, we protect our phones carefully. We put on screen protectors, we buy phone covers, and we don’t want them to fall because they belong to us. If we can do that for a phone, how much more for our country? A land that belongs to us and that our children and grandchildren will inherit. If we destroy it with corruption and bad governance, we are handing them a broken nation. We must all put our shoulders to the wheel and recognise that Africa is ours. Nigeria belongs to us; let’s make Nigeria better. Ghana belongs to us; let’s make Ghana better. If we do this, no one can come in and divide us within our own countries. But the problem is, we’ve always seen our nations as “government business”. So when things collapse, we say it doesn’t concern us. That’s why foreigners, Europeans, or even Chinese miners can come to our lands, engage in illegal mining, and destroy our water bodies and forests. We must change this mindset. We must take responsibility as citizens of Africa.

Just as the European Schengen visa faces challenges in determining which country is responsible for managing external borders, how could Africa address this issue from the outset—and ensure its sustainability—if the Single African Visa initiative is implemented?

A borderless Africa does not mean there would be no personnel at the borders. It doesn’t mean immigration officials would no longer be there. What it simply means is that if you are a Nigerian travelling to Botswana, Lesotho, or Egypt, once you arrive, you’re recognised as an African citizen coming in; that is what a borderless Africa means. It doesn’t mean we would do away with checks, because there still has to be verification to ensure people aren’t travelling with fake passports and so on.
So yes, there will still be immigration officers. But countries will need to continuously train and retrain them, because even within ECOWAS, we still face challenges. I have personally experienced delays; once we were held up for about 45 minutes. As ECOWAS citizens, travel within the region should be seamless, but that’s not the reality. And if we, as high-ranking officials, myself as a former member of parliament, others who have served in government, and even a UN ambassador among us, are going through this, you can imagine what the ordinary trader faces at the borders. That’s why immigration officials must be trained and retrained, but beyond that, we need to provide them with the right tools and ensure they are well paid. Because in Africa, too often, we pretend to be paying people, and in turn, they pretend to be working.

To what extent do U.S. visa policies influence your campaign for visa-free travel within Africa, and what lessons can African governments draw from the U.S. approach to mobility and border control?

Absolutely not. We are tireless Pan-Africans who believe that Africa has what it takes to be where it should be. I have been talking about African unity for years, since my days as a broadcaster with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, more than two decades ago. And we are not influenced by what is happening in Europe or North America. We are simply saying that we’ve got to take care of ourselves first, before thinking about Europe and North America.

One challenge with continental integration is the cost of infrastructure to support free movement. How do you propose governments balance the financial burden with the economic opportunities?

Good question. A lot of our roads are terrible, really, very terrible. And we’ve got to build the necessary infrastructure to create access. Our food from the various farms is rotting because it can’t get to the cities; the roads are in such bad shape. So, governments across Africa need to take the issue of infrastructure very seriously. I’ve also seen some good work in some countries. Even driving into Nigeria, some parts of the roads were bad, but others were quite good. And I think we need to commend the progress where it’s happening, while also encouraging improvement where things are falling short.

Ghana has taken the lead in supporting this initiative. Have you received financial or logistical backing from private sector players, such as airlines, banks, or tourism boards?

The government has fully endorsed this campaign. There are public institutions like the Gold Board of Ghana, the National Investment Bank of Ghana, and the National Lotteries of Ghana, which have all contributed their widow’s mite to the campaign in spite of the challenges. There are also private companies that have done the same, as I mentioned earlier. In Nigeria, I would be happy to receive similar support from individual Nigerians, from businesses, and from the government, in a way that makes this campaign seamless and easier for all of us.

Regional blocs like ECOWAS and SADC already have partial visa-free arrangements. Why has it been difficult to scale this up to a continent-wide policy, and what financial incentives could make governments more willing to act?

Number one is the lack of political will, because where there’s political will, it’s already being done. Look at Kenya, for example; they have taken a giant step by saying all Africans can come to Kenya without visas. That’s brilliant. Benin is doing the same. And just last year, Ghana announced that all Africans would soon be able to visit without visas, too, with implementation set for about 24 months. These give us hope that Africa can actually make this happen within the next five years.