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The capital city of Malabo is preparing to host a landmark summit on Sunday, 13 July, focused on financing and accelerating the free movement of people, goods, and services across Africa. The event is poised to be a pivotal moment in the continent’s push toward deeper economic integration.
Held under the theme “Financing and Facilitating the Movement of People, Goods and Services Across Africa,” the forum aims to dismantle long-standing structural and legal barriers that have hindered intra-African connectivity.
It precedes the African Union’s 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, which will gather African heads of state, AU commissioners, leaders of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), global financial actors, and development strategists.
The initiative is being led and sponsored by the President of Equatorial Guinea, H.E.
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, signaling the country’s growing leadership in continental affairs.
At the heart of the summit is the proposed Integrated Infrastructure Growth Fund for Africa, championed by Dr.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma within the framework of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2025, and aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
One of the most ambitious elements of the plan is a symbolic contribution model — the “one dollar a day” initiative — aimed at Africa’s burgeoning middle class.
If widely adopted, this grassroots mechanism could generate over $20 billion annually to invest in critical infrastructure projects, including highways, digital corridors, airports, and bridges that would dramatically enhance the continent’s connectivity.
“Malabo moves us from diagnosis to action,” said Sidig El Toum, Executive Director of the African Policy Network (APN).
“We are turning commitments into concrete funding and effective policy implementation for free movement, starting with the one-dollar-a-day fund.”
By prioritizing funding for cross-border infrastructure and easing legal mobility constraints, the forum hopes to redefine Africa’s economic landscape and transform the vision of a fully integrated continent into tangible reality.
