Togo: H.E. Faure Gnassingbé, fervent advocate of African integration, reaffirms his commitment to a robust and sustainable common market
Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbé, has long been a proponent of African economic integration, and at the 3rd edition of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD 2025) in Accra, he reiterated his commitment to creating a robust and resilient common market. He emphasized the need for enhanced regional cooperation to better navigate global crises and reduce dependency in strategic sectors. According to Gnassingbé, Africa must go beyond mere trade liberalization and work towards building a sovereign economic ecosystem that fosters complementarity and local industrialization.
The Togolese leader also advocated for a pragmatic and solidarity-based integration model that takes into account the economic disparities between African states. He believes that a flexible approach, tailored to the unique realities of each country, is key to ensuring that economic integration benefits all nations equitably. For him, a common African market cannot succeed without strong institutions and targeted strategies that enable the most vulnerable economies to benefit from this shared vision.
Finally, President Gnassingbé highlighted infrastructure as the cornerstone of economic sovereignty and a catalyst for intra-African trade. Roads, ports, power networks, and digitalization must be at the heart of integration policies to effectively connect the continent’s economies. His participation in the symbolic lighting of the African Trade Flame in Accra underscored his dedication to turning the vision of a common market into a tangible, sustainable reality.
