Africa’s leaders should be judged not by rhetoric or institutions but by the jobs they create, the borders they open and the prosperity they deliver to citizens, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chair of the Africa Prosperity Network, said on Tuesday at the opening of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2026 in Accra.
Speaking to political leaders, business executives and development partners at the International Conference Centre, Dlamini-Zuma said the continent’s progress must be measured by tangible outcomes that improve daily life for Africans.
“Our success will not be measured by the number of servants or structures we create,” she said. “It will be measured by jobs created, borders opened and rising prosperity for all our citizens.”
She said Africa’s development must also be assessed by whether investments in infrastructure reduce conflict and insecurity, improve access to education and healthcare, and deliver a better quality of life.
“Success will be measured by whether Africa’s world-class infrastructure takes away the need for guns and silences the guns,” she said, adding that children across the continent must have access to quality education, healthcare and opportunity.
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Dlamini-Zuma placed strong emphasis on skills development, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, saying Africa must deliver a “skills revolution” to support innovation and long-term growth.
She warned that Africa risked falling behind in emerging technologies if it remained only a consumer rather than a contributor. “We must contribute to artificial intelligence, not just consume it,” she said, noting that most AI systems today rely on data generated outside the continent. “Africa must ensure its data is part of the global knowledge pool.”
Highlighting gender inequality, Dlamini-Zuma said women contribute nearly half of Africa’s total productive potential yet face systematic exclusion from finance, markets and trade networks. Closing the gender gap in trade could boost intra-African trade by fifteen percent annually, according to estimates by the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.
Africa’s youthful population presents both an opportunity and a risk, she said. Young people account for about sixty percent of the continent’s population, according to World Bank data, but unemployment remains structurally high.
“Powering young entrepreneurs could create up to fifty million jobs by 2030,” she said, citing the African Development Bank. She urged governments to invest in education and skills aligned with future job markets, while creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurship through supportive policies, access to finance and innovation ecosystems.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are central to that agenda, Dlamini-Zuma said. SMEs account for about eighty percent of employment and roughly half of Africa’s gross domestic product, yet only one in five participates in cross-border trade due to regulatory, financial and logistical barriers.
“These constraints must be addressed,” she said, calling for tailored financial products, deliberate integration of women- and youth-led businesses into regional value chains, and investment in digital tools and skills.
Dlamini-Zuma also urged African governments to accelerate the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers under the AfCFTA, warning against prolonged pilot projects. “We cannot keep piloting forever,” she said. “Simplified trade regimes must become continental norms.”
Cross-border payments, logistics and digital trade platforms must be designed for small businesses, not only large banks and corporations, she added. “Integration must reduce costs, not add layers of delay.”
On mobility, she said freer movement of people would strengthen trade, tourism and unity, dismissing fears that open borders would fuel insecurity. She cited countries such as Namibia and Zambia, which have eased border restrictions without seeing a rise in crime.
Quoting Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, Dlamini-Zuma concluded by urging unity. “Divided we are weak. United Africa is one of the greatest forces for good in the world,” she said. “That message is still true today.”
