Mr Eazi Calls for a Borderless Africa to Unlock Innovation for Youth and SMEs

At the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogue, Nigerian musician and serial entrepreneur Oluwatosin “Mr Eazi” Ajibade delivered a compelling address that transcended the typical celebrity narrative. Speaking under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate, Collaborate, Trade,” he argued that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) must evolve from a signed agreement into a lived reality. His core message: removing persistent “frictional” barriers—bureaucratic, financial, and regulatory—is not a political ideal but an economic imperative to empower a generation of young innovators and small businesses. This vision of a borderless Africa, he contends, is the direct pathway to transforming African SMEs into continental champions and harnessing the continent’s greatest asset—its youth.

Key Points from Mr Eazi’s Address

Mr. Eazi’s speech, drawn from four years of direct entrepreneurial experience across the continent, crystallized into several actionable pillars:

From Philosophical Ideal to Economic Necessity

The concept of Pan-African unity has historical roots, but Mr. Eazi asserts it is now a practical economic necessity. Frameworks like the AfCFTA have formalized the goal, but the critical phase of implementation remains incomplete. A borderless continent is no longer a dream but a requirement for competitive global relevance.

Borders Create “Friction” That Cripples Scaling

He identified specific “frictional” pain points: difficulties in moving goods, processing cross-border payments, and navigating disparate national regulations. These frictions disproportionately affect SMEs, artists, creators, and young entrepreneurs who lack the resources of large corporations to overcome them.

Youth Are Already Building Borderless Economies

Africans under 35, he noted, inherently operate without borders through digital collaboration, marketing, and business. The formal systems must catch up to this organic, generational reality. “We do not care about borders,” he stated, highlighting a demographic truth that policymakers must embrace.

Sovereignty and Integration Are Not Mutually Exclusive

Clarifying a common misconception, Mr. Eazi emphasized that a borderless Africa does not mean dissolving nations or weakening sovereignty. Instead, it means enabling the efficient, secure, and lawful execution of commitments already made under agreements like the AfCFTA.

Proof of Concept: Entrepreneurial Success Across 19 Nations

He cited his own business ventures as a living case study. One portfolio company operates in 19 African countries, processing 4 million transactions daily. This growth from a single-country operation to a continental entity exemplifies the scaling potential that a truly integrated market unlocks.

Background: The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Pan-African Vision

To understand Mr. Eazi’s urgency, one must contextualize it within the AfCFTA’s ambitious framework. Launched in 2019 and operational since 2021, the AfCFTA aims to create a single market for goods and services, facilitate the free movement of people and capital, and boost intra-African trade. It covers a market of over 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of approximately $3.4 trillion, making it one of the world’s largest free trade areas by membership.

The philosophical underpinning of a borderless Africa is not new. Historical records show vibrant pre-colonial trans-Saharan and coastal trade networks that connected kingdoms and empires long before European-drawn borders. Post-independence, regional economic communities (RECs) like ECOWAS, SADC, and the East African Community (EAC) attempted incremental integration. The AfCFTA represents the most comprehensive attempt to unify these fragmented regional blocs under a single continental regime.

However, the gap between the AfCFTA’s legal text and on-the-ground reality remains significant. While tariffs are being eliminated, “non-tariff barriers” (NTBs) persist. These include cumbersome customs procedures, divergent product standards, restrictions on the movement of professionals, and foreign exchange bottlenecks. For the AfCFTA to fulfill its promise of lifting 30 million people out of extreme poverty and boosting incomes by $450 billion by 2035 (according to World Bank estimates), these NTBs must be systematically dismantled.

In-Depth Analysis: The Frictions Hindering a Borderless Africa

Mr. Eazi’s experience provides a granular lens on the operational frictions that stifle cross-border enterprise. His analysis moves from macro policy to micro business challenges.

1. Payment and Financial Frictions

Processing a transaction from Lagos to Nairobi or Accra to Johannesburg remains complex and costly. Africa’s financial landscape is highly fragmented, with 41 different currencies and limited cross-border payment infrastructure. This creates:
– High transaction costs: Fees for currency conversion, correspondent banking, and remittances eat into SME margins.
– Settlement delays: Payments can take days to clear, disrupting cash flow for small businesses.
– Limited access to finance: Without seamless cross-border payment histories, SMEs struggle to access credit from regional financial institutions.
Solutions like the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), operated by Afreximbank, are critical steps but require wider adoption and integration with national banking systems.

2. Regulatory Heterogeneity and Compliance Burden

Each nation maintains its own business registration, tax code, labor law, and product standards. For a business operating in five countries, this means managing five different legal regimes. The cost of compliance—hiring local legal experts, filing multiple returns, adapting packaging for different markets—is often prohibitive for SMEs. This regulatory patchwork directly contradicts the single-market ideal.

3. Physical and Logistical Bottlenecks

Despite improvements, Africa’s transport infrastructure lags. Poor road networks, congested ports, and inefficient rail systems increase the time and cost of moving goods. A truck carrying goods from Côte d’Ivoire to Ghana may face numerous checkpoints and informal fees, a classic “friction” Mr. Eazi referenced. The African Road Infrastructure Initiative and the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) are key, but implementation is slow.

4. The Digital Divide and Data Sovereignty Conflicts

The youth-driven, internet-based collaboration Mr. Eazi described relies on robust digital infrastructure. Yet, internet penetration and affordability vary wildly. Furthermore, conflicting data protection laws (like Nigeria’s NDPA vs. Kenya’s Data Protection Act) create compliance nightmares for digital platforms operating across borders, stifling innovation in fintech, e-commerce, and the creative digital economy.

5. Skills and Talent Mobility Barriers

While the AfCFTA includes a protocol on the free movement of persons, its implementation is partial and often excludes low- and mid-skilled workers. A young Ghanaian software engineer or a Nigerian content creator faces visa restrictions and non-recognition of professional qualifications in many countries, limiting the cross-border talent pool that could supercharge SMEs.

Practical Advice: How Stakeholders Can Drive Integration

Translating Mr. Eazi’s vision into action requires coordinated efforts from multiple actors.

For SMEs and Entrepreneurs

• Leverage Digital-First Strategies: Use e-commerce platforms (like Jumia, Konga) and digital marketing to reach continental customers with minimal physical presence initially.
• Engage with Business Member Organizations: Join national and regional chambers of commerce (e.g., African Business Council) to advocate for the removal of specific NTBs affecting your sector.
• Explore Regional Value Chains: Instead of targeting the entire continent, focus on integrating into established regional blocs (EAC, ECOWAS) where trade facilitation is more advanced.
• Utilize AfCFTA-Specific Resources: Familiarize yourself with the AfCFTA’s “Start-up Act” and the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) which allows selected SMEs to trade under AfCFTA terms before full tariff elimination.

For Policymakers and Regional Bodies

• Accelerate NTB Elimination Mechanisms: Strengthen and empower national AfCFTA National Committees to swiftly identify, report, and resolve non-tariff barriers through the online monitoring system.
• Harmonize Key Regulations: Prioritize mutual recognition of standards for priority sectors (agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, ICT) and align tax incentives for SMEs to prevent “race-to-the-bottom” competition.
• Invest in “Hard” and “Soft” Infrastructure: Fast-track PIDA projects for transport and energy. Simultaneously, invest in “soft” infrastructure like standardized customs training, digital identity systems (like the AU’s ID4Africa initiative), and legal frameworks for digital transactions.
• Champion the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM): Liberalizing air transport is crucial for the movement of people, high-value goods, and services. More countries must sign and implement the SAATM agreement.

For Youth and Creative Industries

• Form Cross-Border Collectives: Artists, influencers, and creators should form transnational unions or cooperatives to pool resources, share knowledge on copyright across jurisdictions, and negotiate better deals with continental distributors.
• Build Pan-African Personal Brands: Use social media and content creation to build audiences that transcend national borders, creating a ready market for products, tours, or merchandise across the continent.
• Advocate for Creative Economy Policies: Lobby for the inclusion of strong intellectual property protections and digital services provisions in national AfCFTA implementation plans.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does a “borderless Africa” mean countries will lose their sovereignty?

No. As Mr. Eazi clarified, it means streamlining cooperation within existing sovereign frameworks. The AfCFTA is an agreement between sovereign states to voluntarily cede certain trade and regulatory powers to gain a larger collective economic benefit. National borders remain for political and administrative purposes, but economic borders are lowered.

Is the AfCFTA actually working? What has been achieved so far?

Progress is mixed. The Guided Trade Initiative (GTI), launched in 2022, has seen some early shipments under AfCFTA terms. Tariff reductions on 90% of goods are being implemented. However, the World Bank notes that intra-African trade remains low at ~17% (pre-AfCFTA), compared to ~60% in the EU. The major challenge remains the elimination of non-tariff barriers and the operationalization of key protocols on services, investment, and competition policy.

How can a small business in, say, Senegal, practically start exporting to Kenya under the AfCFTA?

1. Research: Use the AfCFTA Online Portal to understand Kenya’s tariff schedule and any specific requirements for your product.
2. Rules of Origin: Ensure your product meets the AfCFTA’s rules of origin (e.g., a minimum percentage of local content or transformation).
3. Documentation: Prepare the AfCFTA Certificate of Origin