WATCH: Africa’s growth depends on stronger regional integration, say MTN leaders

MTN Groupchairman Mcebisi Jonas and MTN Ghana board chairman Ishmael Yamson say greater cooperation between Africa’s public and private sectors, and among the continent’s largest economies, is needed to accelerate development, with Jonas describing Africa as being at a “critical crossroads”. That imperative has become more pressing as nationalist sentiment rises globally and tensions over migration intensify at home. In South Africa, legitimate concerns about employment, public services, security and migration have increasingly become entangled with actions targeting foreign nationals and immigrant-owned businesses.

For Jonas and Yamson, retreating into national divisions will not resolve these pressures. Africa needs stronger institutions, well-managed migration and greater economic integration capable of expanding opportunity across the continent. The pair examine the practical steps required to advance that integration in the latest episode of MTN’s thought-leadership vodcast series,The Yello Chair(watch it above).

Their discussion covers public-private partnership, cooperation among Africa’s major economies, the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the contribution of African multinationals to national and continental development. Jonas says global geopolitical disruption has exposed the continent’s dependence on external markets and strengthened the case for greater resilience. This includes energy independence, which is essential to industrial growth and the digital infrastructure on which economies increasingly depend.

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Much has been said aboutthe potential of Africa’s large and growing youth cohort. With its population projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050 and a median age of about 19, the continent stands in stark contrast to many developed economies grappling with ageing populations and shrinking workforces. But demographics are not an automatic dividend.

Education, training and digital skills will determine whether young Africans can participate meaningfully, contributing to sustained economic growth. Strong leadership, attractive investment conditions and institutions capable of supporting them are essential to convert the demographic dividend into economic prosperity. Jonas stresses the importance of independent, technically competent and inclusive institutions in sustaining democracy, economic participation and investor confidence. Capable government institutions are essential, but governments cannot deliver the continent’s development agenda alone.

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