Registration for the 2027 edition of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) will open on Monday, September 7, 2026, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has announced.
The fifth edition of the high-level continental integration forum is scheduled for January 27 to 29, 2027, at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra.
Speaking at a media briefing in Accra to launch APD 2027, Mr Otchere-Darko said the dialogue would focus on turning existing continental integration commitments into practical outcomes.
The event will be held under the theme, “The Borderless Africa We Want: Move Freely. Pay Seamlessly. Trade More.”
According to Mr Otchere-Darko, the theme builds on work and policy outcomes from previous editions of the dialogue, particularly the 2024 discussions on Africa’s digital economy and seamless payment systems.
He cited the subsequent passage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol as an example of the impact of discussions held at APD.
He said APN subsequently convened a symposium in July 2024 involving central banks, payment operators and telecommunications companies to explore ways of achieving continent-wide mobile money interoperability.
“We brought all the stakeholders together, the central banks of the continent, the NCAs, the payment operators, and they came up with a report on achieving the ability to buy and sell across the continent using just your mobile money,” he said.
The report was later presented to the African Union’s Mid-Year Coordination Summit held in Accra on July 21, 2024, where it was unanimously endorsed by the regional economic communities represented.
Mr Otchere-Darko said the summit subsequently committed to having a continent-wide mobile money interoperability framework operational by 2027, making the objective central to the APD 2027 agenda.
He urged the media to strengthen advocacy for the removal of barriers that continue to constrain African entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises from operating seamlessly across national borders.
“We need the media to help push that. The advocacy must be strong,” he said.
READ: APN launches APD 2027, sets sights on borderless Africa, digital payments and trade
He argued that while African leaders continue to agree on policies aimed at strengthening economies and creating jobs, implementation remains constrained by borders that have historically divided the continent.
APD 2027 will be structured around four thematic pillars: Move Freely, focusing on aviation, mobility and smart borders; Pay Seamlessly, covering payments, fintech and digital commerce; Connect Africa, focusing on digital infrastructure, telecommunications and artificial intelligence; and Trade More, covering logistics, trade finance and regional value chains.
The dialogue will also formally launch the Borderless Africa Agenda 2030, which will focus on two flagship reform; a Visa-Free Africa and connected digital payment systems.
The three-day programme will feature a Business and Policy Leaders’ Dialogue on the first two days, expected to produce an Outcome Document, followed by a Presidential and Business Leaders’ Summit on the third day.
Heads of State and business leaders are expected to adopt an APD 2027 Action Compact for onward presentation to the African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa in February 2027.
Mr Otchere-Darko also announced that APN is working with a range of strategic partners for the event, including the African Union, AUDA-NEPAD, Borderless Alliance, African Development Bank, Afreximbank, BADEA and players in the telecommunications sector.
The network is also engaging Ghana’s Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation.
The 2027 dialogue will be hosted at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City because of ongoing refurbishment works at the Accra International Conference Centre, which hosted the previous edition.
The change of venue will, however, significantly reduce the event’s capacity. While APD 2026 attracted approximately 6,400 delegates from 94 countries, the Kempinski venue can accommodate about 1,000 participants.
APD 2027 is expected to bring together policymakers, business leaders and other stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to advance practical measures towards greater continental integration.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
