Ghanaian lawyer Ace Anan Ankomah has called on African countries to overcome internal divisions and assert control over their economic and technological destinies.
Speaking at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogue on the theme “Innovating Africa’s Future,” Ankomah criticised the continent’s habit of limiting its own people while permitting outsiders to extract resources freely, calling it a form of self-imposed fragmentation.
He urged African nations to act decisively to eliminate internal divisions, ensuring that inefficiencies, poverty, and conflicts do not suppress the continent’s potential but instead inspire bold, transformative initiatives.
Ankomah stressed the need for African countries to move past dependency on foreign solutions and reactive policies. He encouraged unity, innovation, and self-reliance as essential strategies for sustainable development and global competitiveness.
“We cannot remain small, insecure, and reactive and still expect to be respected. The strongest borders are not just those controlled by immigration officials—they are the invisible barriers that make us see each other as different, simply because we were born in separate countries,” he said.
He added that African nations often enforce strict controls on one another while allowing outsiders to access and exploit the continent’s wealth with little resistance.
“This is not genuine sovereignty. True independence cannot exist when we fragment ourselves while letting others take what is ours with ease,” Ankomah said, calling for a united and self-determined Africa.
