Strategic Infrastructure investment vital for Africa’s prosperity –Gabby

By Daniel Nonor, Accra
The Executive Chairman of the African Prosperity Network (APN), Gabby Okyere Darko says there is an urgent need to prioritize investments in infrastructure to accelerate the growth of the African continent.
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) in Accra yesterday,Gabby Okyere Darko lamented that in spite of Africa‘s vast potential, its infrastructure gab serves as a more potent blockade, hindering the profitability of initiatives such the African Intercontinental Free Trade Area which success hinges on key enablers such energy, water, ICT, transport and logistics and a digital economy.

This he said calls for a substantial investment in infrastructure that would yield greater rewards and enabling efforts to create the needed jobs and propel the continent’s development

“We stand at a critical juncture in history where unlocking prosperity now more than ever depends on prioritising investment in infrastructure, connecting our people through infrastructure and integrating our economies to create and spread opportunities and prosperity for every community in Africa.

He emphasised that to achieve the goal of building the single largest market in Africa requires a collective effort and sincere commitment from all stakeholders.

“And by this, we mean principally, the political leaders of Africa, institutions of state, continent institutional development partners and champions of business including SMEs, non -Africans doing business in Africa”

He added that the central to the African Prosperity Network’s is to empower the continent’s private sector which serves at the most vibrant drivers of the African integration agenda.

“APN was deliberately set up and proactively to help mobiles and engage African business change makers in the whole process of creating with outmost urgency, a vibrant economic ecosystem that enable the free and productive movement of people , goods and services across member states”.

He noted that a major outcome from the 2024 APN forum was the need for a continent-wide interoperability system.

“There’s is no debate that achieving interoperability across payment systems in Africa will make a single market concept meaningful to tens of millions of ordinary traders in Africa majority of whom are women” , he stated.

He announced that APN has made provision to support relevant partners including the government of Ghana, the Bank of Ghana, MTN, Telecel , African Exim bank and smart Africa among others , as part of its commitment to the campaign of making possible for Africans to buy and sell across Africa by merely using their mobile money wallet.

Finance Minister Dr Mohammed Amin Adam on his part emphasised the importance of supporting Africa’s financial and development finance institutions to play pivotal roles in financing development initiatives across the continent.
He stressed that strengthening the capacity and resources of these institutions would enable them mobilise capital more effectively and channel investments towards priority sectors, including energy, transportation and telecommunication which is much needed tp propel the continent’s growth.

This he said calls a strategic and Innovative Financing stressing that traditional financing mechanisms may no longer suffice in meeting the growing demands of the continent’s rapidly expanding economies.
“We must explore new avenues for mobilising resources, including public-private partnerships (PPPs), green bonds, and leveraging digital technologies to enhance financial inclusion and access to capital. PPPs have proven to be effective mechanisms for leveraging private sector expertise. I thus encourage African governments to embrace PPPs as a viable solution to bridge the infrastructure gap and drive economic growth”

He lauded the Africa Prosperity Dialogues which have provided the platform for fostering dialogue and collaboration and finding innovative solutions to address the continent’s socio-economic challenges over the years..
“The launch of the third edition of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues serves as a timely platform to reaffirm our commitment to advancing prosperity and development across the continent. Let us seize this opportunity to embrace innovation, foster partnerships, and chart a course towards a more prosperous and sustainable future for all Africans.”, he added.