African leaders are set to celebrate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) at the African Union's (AU) Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in El Alamein, Egypt, from June 24 to 27, 2026. This celebration comes despite growing restrictions on free movement of people and an alarming increase in xenophobic violence. These issues directly undermine the AfCFTA's core objective of fostering shared prosperity across the continent.
The AfCFTA, if fully implemented, aims to create a single market of 1.4 billion people, making it the largest free trade area by participating countries globally. The AU estimates this could increase intra-African trade by over 50 percent. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa projects the AfCFTA could lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty by 2035. However, these ambitious goals are jeopardised if people cannot move freely across borders to facilitate trade and build necessary economic relationships.
This challenge fits into a broader pattern of disconnect between continental economic aspirations and national policies. For example, a flight from Accra to Dakar costs nearly as much as flying to London. Ghanaian traders face longer border wait times into Burkina Faso than actual travel times. Such barriers are symptoms of a structural failure that leaders must address for AfCFTA to succeed.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reports that over 21 million Africans already live in another African country. This confirms intra-African migration as one of the largest internal migration systems globally. Despite this, the 2025 Africa Visa Openness Index showed a significant setback. The share of trips requiring a prior visa rose from 47.1 percent to 51.1 percent, exceeding half of all travel scenarios. Visa-on-arrival availability also reached its lowest level.
Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, formally called on the AU to place xenophobia on the summit agenda. He described it as a direct threat to continental unity, trade, and human rights. This plea followed deeply concerning events in South Africa during April and May 2026. A citizen-led movement, 'March and March', organised demonstrations against undocumented migrants across Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Durban, leading to violent and, in some cases, fatal outcomes. Both African and Asian foreign nationals were targeted, amid criticism of the police and state authorities for an inadequate response.
This is not a new issue in South Africa. Similar attacks in 2008 resulted in over 60 deaths and displaced 100,000 people. More violence followed in 2015. Nigeria threatened retaliatory measures and began repatriating hundreds of its citizens. Ghana repatriated over 1,000 citizens, providing them with psychosocial support upon their return. These incidents underscore the human cost of unaddressed mobility challenges and xenophobia.
The AU's Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, adopted in 2018, needs 15 ratifications to enter into force. Currently, only four countries have ratified it. The African passport, launched in 2016, remains limited to diplomats and senior officials. A decade after its symbolic debut, ordinary Africans cannot use it. Countries like Benin, The Gambia, Rwanda, and Seychelles welcome all African passport holders without visas. Ghana implemented full visa-free entry for Africans in January 2025. These national efforts demonstrate that political will exists in certain areas, even as it lags at the continental level.
The AU must address these fundamental issues urgently to ensure the AfCFTA's promise translates into tangible benefits for all Africans. Without secure movement and protection for people, the continental free trade area will remain a collection of bilateral arrangements rather than a truly unified market. Decision-makers and markets will closely watch how African leaders confront these challenges during the upcoming meeting.