Talk without action: The crisis of leadership in Africa’s integration

African leaders almost always say the right things. They sign visionary treaties, deliver rousing speeches about continental unity, and proclaim their commitment to integration. But too often, they do very little at best and the exact opposite at worst. The disconnect between word and deed is not just frustrating. It is what holds Africa back. Take, for example, the issue of free movement of people. Despite years of promises, travel across African borders remains a maze of bureaucracy, visas, and indignity. Yet without the free movement of people, meaningful integration is impossible. Free movement of Africans within Africa should not be treated as a luxury. It is the foundation of any continental ambition. If an entrepreneur in Kigali cannot easily reach investors in Lagos, or if a medical student from Accra struggles to attend a training program in Cairo, then how can we expect the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to thrive? The movement of people must precede the movement of goods, capital, and services. Without it, integration is hollow rhetoric. Some countries are models of what is possible and are already seeing the rewards. Rwanda adopted a visa-free policy in 2023 for all Africans as well as citizens of the Commonwealth and La Francophonie, and the impact has been striking. The country welcomed over 1.4 million visitors that same year, and tourism revenue crossed $500 million, reaching $620 million, for the first time. The Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) sector alone contributed over $95 million in 2023, with events like the 73rd FIFA Congress and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit elevating Rwanda’s profile as a destination for global sports and business. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has also surged, with the country attracting over $2.5 billion in FDI in 2023, with investors citing ease of access and regional openness as key factors. These gains are not unique to Rwanda. The Gambia, Benin, and Seychelles have adopted similarly open visa regimes for all Africans, with positive effects on tourism and trade. The security concerns often raised by opponents of open borders do not hold up. In fact, cooperation and integration reduce isolation and foster regional stability. Yet across much of the continent, ‘national sovereignty’ remains a convenient excuse for inertia. Leaders cling to border controls not out of necessity, but out of political caution and fear of losing control. But true sovereignty is not defined by isolation – it is earned through the trust and cooperation of one’s neighbors. The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) is another case in point. Signed in 2018 to liberalize air travel, reduce ticket prices, and create new intra-African routes, SAATM promised to transform mobility, but its implementation has been painstakingly slow. As a result, it is still cheaper and easier to fly from Nairobi to Dubai than to Dakar, which is a logistical absurdity for a continent aspiring to unity. Then there is the AfCFTA that is hailed as the boldest step toward continental economic integration since the African Union’s founding. Its potential is enormous: if fully implemented, it could lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty and boost intra-African trade by more than 50 percent by 2030. But so far, progress has been sluggish. Tariff schedules remain incomplete. Customs procedures are inconsistent. Border infrastructure is underdeveloped. The longer the delays continue, the more Africans are left behind. As a pharmacist, I find the slow progress of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) particularly perplexing. The AMA, adopted in 2019 and designed to streamline regulation, ensure drug safety, and drive local manufacturing, is an urgent necessity. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the deadly consequences of fragmented health systems. Yet only about half of African countries have ratified the treaty. If African leaders truly believe in integration and are there to serve the people, their actions must reflect it. Words without action are not leadership. They are a performance. And Africa has endured enough performances. While Africans face humiliating hurdles to travel both within the continent and abroad, citizens of many wealthy nations enjoy easier – and often visa-free – entry across Africa. We cannot continue to treat outsiders with more hospitality than we offer our own brothers and sisters. It is time to stop viewing African integration as a long-term goal and start treating it as the emergency it is. Free movement of people, harmonized air travel, integrated trade, and unified health systems are not abstract ideals – they are imperative components of our collective future as a continent. The applause at summits does not pave roads, build systems, or open borders. Implementation does. The author is a public health professional.

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Talk without action: The crisis of leadership in Africa’s integration