A continent-wide campaign advocating for visa-free travel across Africa is gathering momentum, with its champions arguing that eliminating travel restrictions could unlock access to Africa?s $3.3 trillion economy and create jobs for its 1.4 billion people.

The initiative ? the Trans Africa Tourism & Unity Campaign, is spearheaded by an eight-member team of non-state actors, undertaking a 163-day road trip through 39 African countries.

Their mission is to rally support from governments, civil society, and the media to eliminate internal borders and travel restrictions for African passport holders, with the goal of advancing continental unity and development.

Speaking to BusinessDay in Abuja during the Nigerian leg of the journey, Ras Mubarak, a former Ghanaian lawmaker and Campaign Lead, described the campaign as a practical intervention aimed at fast-tracking the African Union?s vision of a borderless continent.

?The unification of Africa is very crucial,? Mubarak said. ?This is our contribution as non-state actors to support what regional blocs and the African Union are doing. We want to ensure Africa is open and our borders are dismantled so that Africans can travel freely without restrictions.?

So far, the campaign has visited four countries: Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, with plans to move through Central, Southern, Eastern, and Northern Africa, and return to Ghana by early 2026.

The campaign is backed by the Government of Ghana, with funding support from individual contributions, agencies like the National Investment Bank of Ghana, and potential support from willing African companies.

The campaign emphasizes economic independence, job creation, and cultural exchanges, targeting a visa-free Africa by 2035.

Mubarak said the goal is not just symbolic but strategic. The team will compile a report based on their findings and engagements, which will be presented to African heads of state at the end of the trip.

?A successful campaign would mean commitments by African leaders to adopt visa-free policies in the next five years ? not in 2063. The youth of Africa do not have 40 years to wait for opportunities,? he said.

The campaign draws its urgency from the significant economic potential that remains untapped due to restricted intra-African mobility. Africa, despite its vast population and growing middle class, earns less than $2 billion annually from global tourism. Mubarak believes that number could quadruple if Africans were free to travel across their own continent.

?Imagine the jobs that could be created if intra-African tourism was booming,? he said. ?Young people would find work as tour guides, hotel staff, chefs, drivers, and entrepreneurs.?

Mubarak also underscored the cultural value of integration, recalling an experience in Nigeria where the team shared a traditional northern dish called Masa with Alefo.

?It?s fascinating to see how the same food is enjoyed differently in Ghana. These cultural exchanges are priceless,? he said.

The team?s campaign also seeks to counter prevailing narratives around security threats posed by open borders. Mubarak contends that modern tools such as drone surveillance, shared intelligence, and digital border systems can mitigate such risks.

?After all, we already share intelligence with America and Europe. Why not with ourselves?? he asked.

Criticizing what he views as Africa?s overdependence on external powers, Mubarak urged African leaders to take bolder, homegrown action.

?The rest of the world does not care about Africa,? he said. ?Every leader protects their people first. America has America First, Europe looks out for Europe. Our duty as Africans is to put Africa first.?

In addition to the visa-free travel campaign, Mubarak revealed plans to launch an annual Pan-African Innovation and Culture Festival. The festival will bring together young Africans to showcase talent in technology, music, food, and dance, backed by corporate sponsorships and development agencies.

?This is how we give hope to young Africans,? he said. ?If they don?t find jobs, extremist groups will find them. We must create opportunities and structured platforms for our youth to shine.?

The campaign is largely self-funded, supplemented by contributions from Ghanaian institutions and partners providing vehicles, accommodation, and fuel.

?This is not just a Ghanaian initiative; it is a pan-African project,? he said. ?The least our generation can do is to support Africa?s integration.?

Citing Benin and Kenya as examples of African nations that have already adopted visa-free or visa-on-arrival policies, Mubarak challenged other countries to follow suit.

?History will judge African leaders by whether they opened the doors of opportunity for their people,? he said. ?Those who make Africa visa-free by 2030 will be remembered for generations. Those who don?t will be judged harshly.?

The campaign will reach Sierra Leone in January 2026, then continue through Liberia, C?te d?Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and finally return to Ghana, where the team?s findings and recommendations will be presented to policymakers. (BusinessDay)

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