President Mahama Reveals Plan for Seven-Nation African Free Movement Pact
President John Dramani Mahama has announced an upcoming initiative to establish a seven-nation African free-movement bloc aimed at eliminating visa requirements and easing travel for citizens across participating countries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 80th Anniversary Conference on the Fifth Pan-African Congress on Tuesday night 18th November, 2025 in Accra, the President disclosed that the idea was born out of a recent conversation with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to Mahama, “Just before I finished speaking to President Obasanjo on Sunday, we discussed the issue of free movement of people, and we suggested a list of seven African countries that would be the League of African Free Movement. It’s some amorphous name — we haven’t decided yet.”
He revealed that the process will begin with formal communication to the leaders of the selected countries. “I’m going to write to all the presidents,” he said, adding that the initiative will start with the removal of visa requirements among the participating states.
Mahama explained that under the proposed arrangement, citizens of the seven countries would be able to travel freely among one another without visas. “For those seven countries, if any of our citizens want to travel to each other’s countries, they won’t require a visa,” he stated.
He also expressed confidence that more countries would join once the framework is established. “We expect that as others agree and join, we shall welcome them into our league, until finally, we have an Africa where our people can move freely, without obstruction.”
The President concluded his address by officially opening the historic Pan-African gathering, calling for unity and deeper continental integration. “On that note, I wish to declare officially the 80th Anniversary Conference on the Fifth Pan-African Congress duly opened.”
The announcement has generated significant interest as African leaders continue to debate practical steps toward full continental integration, including travel freedom, trade cooperation, and shared development goals.
