By Francis Ntow
Accra, May 9, GNA – Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has called for an end to xenophobia and attacks on fellow Africans to advance continental integration and economic emancipation.
He said Africa could not achieve meaningful regional integration and economic prosperity while some countries continued to expel, dehumanise and attack fellow Africans within their borders.
Mr Ablakwa made the call at the close of the 2026 3i Africa Summit in Accra.
“We must increase belief in ourselves. We must believe in made in Africa. And we must begin to have more compassion for each other… particularly at this time that we are seeing another round of xenophobia where it’s ugly.
“We cannot be talking about trading amongst ourselves, integrating, when we are not welcoming of each other… If it is the case that some guests are not following domestic laws, let law enforcement deal with that. Don’t take the law into your own hands,” he emphasised.
Drawing lessons from Europe’s response to Ukrainian refugees following the Russia-Ukraine conflict four years ago, Mr Ablakwa said about 5.3 million Ukrainians were welcomed into European countries with special integration policies that enabled access to employment and social security without refugee camps being established.
The Minister contrasted that with the situation in Sudan, where more than 14 million people had been displaced, saying the crisis had received little attention.
He commended President John Dramani Mahama for sending relief aid to Sudan as part of what he described as a conscious humanitarian foreign policy.
“What are we doing in Africa?” he asked. “We are saying Ghana must go. Nigeria must go. Go to where? Is this not our continent? Are we not one people? Are we not family?”
Mr Ablakwa challenged the perception that expelling fellow Africans would solve unemployment or reduce crime, stressing that deeper integration, partnerships and compassion remained the solution.
He said Africa possessed about 30 per cent of the world’s mineral resources, 60 per cent of global arable land, a population of 1.4 billion people, and an economy valued at more than 3.5 trillion dollars.
Those resources, he noted, provided a strong foundation for the continent to become an influential force in global affairs and urged African leaders to work together in responding to global transformation in technology, finance and geopolitics.
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana had demonstrated its commitment to continental integration and economic sovereignty by hosting the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He also highlighted Ghana’s contribution to the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), launched in Accra and managed by the African Export-Import Bank, describing it as a critical African financial innovation.
The Minister said PAPSS had been mitigating currency risks, reducing transaction costs and improving the speed of trade settlements across African markets in support of AfCFTA implementation.
On financing, he encouraged African countries to allocate up to 30 per cent of their sovereign reserves to African financial institutions to support the continent’s development.
Mr Ablakwa said outcomes of the 3i Africa Summit would be presented to President Mahama and would form part of implementation priorities when Ghana assumed leadership of the African Union in February 2027.
“Africa must speak with a stronger and more unified voice in global financial governance and that the continent’s future rests on being more connected, more inclusive, and more compassionate toward its own people,” he urged.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
9 May 2026
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Reporter: Francis Ntow
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