Africa wants to become one connected market. But borders, expensive transport, limited infrastructure and complicated trade rules still make it difficult for Africans to do business with one another.
Regional integration has been in focus again this month as leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) gathered in Durban for the bloc’s 46th Summit, renewing calls for stronger regional cooperation and unity.
But the question is bigger than SADC.
How close is Africa really to becoming an integrated continent?
This is the challenge behind Agenda 2063 Moonshot 2, which aims to build a more integrated Africa through stronger regional cooperation, trade, infrastructure, free movement and connectivity.
The idea is simple: African countries should not operate as isolated economies.
A farmer in Ghana should be able to sell to a buyer in Senegal. A manufacturer in Kenya should be able to reach customers in Tanzania or Nigeria. A young African entrepreneur should be able to build a business that serves customers across borders without facing unnecessary barriers.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is designed to help make this possible by creating a single African market for goods and services.
But trade agreements alone cannot integrate the continent.
Africa also needs better roads, railways, ports, electricity networks and digital connections. Businesses need reliable systems for moving goods and making payments across borders. Governments need to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and make customs procedures easier.
Movement of people is another major part of integration.
For ordinary Africans, integration should mean that crossing a border to study, work, trade or visit another African country becomes easier and more affordable.
There is also an important economic reason for deeper integration.
A connected African market gives African businesses access to more than one billion potential consumers. Larger markets can help companies expand, create jobs and compete internationally.
But Africa cannot become one market while its people and economies remain disconnected.
Moonshot 2 is therefore not simply about removing borders on a map. It is about removing the barriers that prevent Africans from trading, travelling, working and building together.
The Africa We Want will not be built by individual countries alone.
It will be built when African economies begin working as one.