A member of the United Party (UP), Solomon Owusu, has criticised African leaders over what he describes as the failure to fully implement the vision behind the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) despite hosting its headquarters in Accra.

Speaking on Pan African TV on May 23, 2026, Owusu lamented that although Africa’s youth population has the potential to drive continental unity and economic transformation, little effort has been made to build meaningful cooperation among young Africans across borders.

“As a continent, we must begin to preach this borderless Africa. We are the youth of the continent. Nobody is trying to put us together,” he said.

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According to him, African youths remain disconnected from one another, making it difficult to build collective resistance against common economic and political challenges facing the continent.

“The Ghanaian youth have no relationship with the Burkina youth. We don’t have a common ground. So, we see their fights as country-specific,” he added.

Owusu singled out the AfCFTA initiative for criticism, arguing that despite its potential to transform Africa’s economy, implementation has largely stalled.

“We took upon ourselves what you call Africa’s Continental Free Trade Area, something that could change the destiny of the continent. How well do we preach it? How well are we domesticating it as part of our national agenda? There is nothing. We have only set up an office where we pay staff. No realistic thing has happened,” he stated.

The politician also accused France of maintaining economic influence over African economies through divisions among African countries.

Referencing cocoa production in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, he questioned why the two countries, despite producing a significant portion of the world’s cocoa, do not determine global cocoa prices.

“We produce a chunk of the world’s cocoa output, yet prices are determined by people who have not planted cocoa trees,” he said.

Owusu argued that stronger collaboration between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire could help Africa gain greater control over its agricultural resources and economic destiny.

“But if we are to team up and work together, we will make headway,” he stressed.

VPO