Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called on African leaders to embrace regional collaboration and trade facilitation as key drivers of the continent's economic transformation, stressing that Africa's future lies in trade—not charity.
Speaking at the closing session of "The Africa Opportunity: Regional Collaboration and Trade Facilitation" during the 2025 Commonwealth Enterprises and Investment Summit in London, Mbah said Africa must move beyond waiting to be invited to the global economic table and start building its own.
"With a population of 1.3 billion, a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion, and 65% of the world's uncultivated arable land, Africa has the capacity to lead. But we must turn our potential into tangible progress through robust intra-African trade," he said.
Mbah emphasized the transformative power of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), citing World Bank projections that it could lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty and boost the continent's income by $450 billion by 2035. However, he expressed concern that many of AfCFTA's objectives—like the removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers—remain unfulfilled.
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He highlighted major challenges slowing intra-African trade, including poor infrastructure, high flight costs, fragmented rail systems, and underutilized maritime transport. "Only 14.4% of Africa's trade is intra-continental, compared to 69% in Europe and 59% in Asia," he noted.
Still, Mbah expressed optimism, urging Africa to draw lessons from the European Union's integration journey, which took over three decades. He stressed the need for legal harmonization, infrastructure investment, and human capital development.
"We need a unified legal and regulatory framework, smart infrastructure, and an education system that fuels economic growth. AfCFTA must be more than a feel-good creation," he said. "Africa's economic renaissance lies in extensive trade – not aid or charity. The time to act is now."
Earlier at the summit, Mbah also led the State Governors Roundtable, where he presented Enugu State's investment potential to global leaders and investors.
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