Africa’s Slow Shift Toward a ‘NATO’ Mentality: Empty Promises, No Action – Alan Kyerematen Laments

A Vision for African Unity and Economic Integration

Alan Kyerematen, a former Ghanaian Minister of Trade and Industry and one of the key architects behind the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), has raised concerns about the continent’s slow progress toward true integration. He argues that Africa is becoming what he calls a “NATO continent,” where leaders and citizens engage in endless discussions without taking meaningful action.

In an exclusive interview, Kyerematen reflected on the long-standing challenges of African unity. He recalled that when the Organization of African Unity was established in 1963, the founding fathers envisioned a united Africa that would trade among itself, create a common market, and eventually form an African economic community. However, within a few years, newly independent states became consumed by post-colonial struggles, and the dream of unity began to fade.

Despite the formation of regional blocs such as ECOWAS, SADC, COMESA, and the East African Community, internal trade in Africa remains below 15%. For Kyerematen, this highlights how far the continent still is from achieving genuine integration.

The Struggle for Economic Integration

Kyerematen’s work on trade deepened when he joined the UN Economic Commission for Africa in 2011, leading the African Trade Policy Centre. He became frustrated with the perception that Africa had become a “talk shop,” where ambitious policies were drafted but rarely implemented. To address this, he and his team pushed for both a legal framework in the form of AfCFTA and an operational plan called Boosting Intra-African Trade. Both were endorsed at the AU summit in 2012, but only the trade agreement gained significant traction, while the operational plan received far less attention.

Throughout the process, skepticism followed Kyerematen. Many African leaders doubted whether a continental framework could work when regional blocs themselves struggled to deepen trade ties. However, Kyerematen argued that only scale could unlock Africa’s potential. He explained that countries like Ghana often imported basic goods such as sausages from Europe instead of sourcing them from fellow African nations, simply because of trade barriers tied to regional groupings. A continental framework, he insisted, could break down those barriers.

The Impact of AfCFTA

Despite resistance, AfCFTA eventually came into being and now spans a market of 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion. With Africa holding 60% of the world’s arable land, vast water reserves, forests, and mineral wealth, Kyerematen sees the economic case as undeniable. Yet he cautions that trade alone will not guarantee prosperity. For him, Africa cannot be peaceful, secure, or prosperous without political unity and deeper integration.

He points to Europe as an example: independent states with distinct identities that nonetheless wield global influence through the European Union. He believes the African Union, in its current structure, should be treated as a transitional phase, ultimately paving the way for a “United States of Africa.”

Challenges and Opportunities

Seven years after AfCFTA was signed, Kyerematen admits that progress has been uneven. Infrastructure gaps, unaligned customs reforms, and weak regulatory harmonization remain obstacles. Still, he views the agreement as historic, a foundation upon which Africa can build either a confederation or a federation to unlock its full economic power and geopolitical influence.

Reflecting on past attempts at unity, he recalled how Muammar Gaddafi’s call for a “United States of Africa” failed in 2012 because it was rushed and lacked consensus. The lesson, he suggested, is that integration must be gradual, systematic, and built on existing structures.

The Path Forward

Kyerematen stressed that the pieces are already in place. AfCFTA has given Africa the legal framework, Agenda 2063 offers the vision, and regional economic communities provide the building blocks. But without prioritizing political unity, he warns, the rest of Africa’s aspirations will remain out of reach. The path forward requires not just economic cooperation but also a commitment to political integration, ensuring that Africa can fully realize its potential on the global stage.