At the recent Africa Prosperity Dialogues, Osman Abdulai Ayariga, CEO of the National Youth Authority (NYA), delivered a powerful message on the future of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Speaking on the theme, “Africa Without Borders: Youth, Creativity, and Power in an Integrated Africa,” Ayariga cautioned that AfCFTA’s promise of prosperity would remain unfulfilled if it is limited to the trade of goods and neglects the movement and empowerment of Africa’s youth.
Addressing a packed audience, Mr. Ayariga emphasized that Africa’s real strength lies in its people, especially its young talent and creative minds. “Markets are built by people, not goods alone,” he declared, noting that AfCFTA’s single market of over 1.4 billion people and US$3 trillion in output can only succeed if young Africans are given the freedom to move, create, and innovate.
He pointed to the global rise of services, digital production, and creative industries—sectors where skills and mobility are essential. Despite Africa’s vast talent, the continent captures less than one percent of the global creative economy, a shortfall Ayariga attributed to policy gaps rather than a lack of potential.
Highlighting Nigeria’s film industry as a model, he explained how global streaming platforms invested around US$40 million into Nollywood between 2016 and 2022, propelling African stories to international audiences. He stressed that culture is now a tool of economic and diplomatic influence, urging African governments to champion cultural diplomacy or risk having the continent’s identity shaped by outsiders.
Ayariga called for urgent reforms: mutual recognition of skills across borders, labour-sensitive mobility policies, and a managed free-movement system that allows Africans to live, work, and contribute across the continent. “Africa’s youth are already borderless in imagination and ambition.
Policy is lagging behind reality,” he concluded, reminding leaders that the continent’s path to integration and prosperity depends on putting young people and creativity at the heart of policy and progress.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
