It’s official: Registration opens for Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2027
The Africa Prosperity Network (APN) has opened registration for the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2027 (APD 2027), scheduled for 27–29 January 2027 at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, Ghana.
Since its launch in January 2023, APD has established itself as the first major conference on Africa’s annual calendar, the continent’s leading private-sector-led platform for advancing the single market and Ghana’s largest annual conference-tourism event.
Held under the theme, “The Borderless Africa We Want: Move Freely. Pay Seamlessly. Trade More,” APD 2027 will offer businesses of all sizes a high-level platform to build networks, forge partnerships and explore trade and investment opportunities across Africa.
The call across Africa, especially from young people and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, are for visa-free travel and seamless cross-border digital payments, including being able to buy and sell across the continent using their mobile money wallets.
“APD 2027 will bring together the leaders shaping how people move, goods reach markets, investments cross borders and Africans buy and sell beyond national boundaries. The focus must now shift from reflection to urgent implementation,” said Dr Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the APN Advisory Council.
Africa has committed to creating a single continental market of more than 1.5 billion people. Yet inadequate political will, growing anti-immigration measures and persistent administrative, financial and infrastructure barriers continue to restrict the movement of people, capital, goods and services.
In July 2024, the African Union endorsed a report which set a 2027 deadline for all Member States to enable cross-border mobile money interoperability and join the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS). This follows the 1994 commitment by African leaders to achieve continental economic integration by 2028.
APD 2027 will therefore examine the implementation of existing AU free-movement protocols and the reforms, infrastructure, financing and commercial partnerships required to make Africa’s single market work for its people and businesses.
The conference will also advance APN’s Make Africa Borderless Now! campaign and its Borderless Africa Agenda 2030, built around two ambitions: a visa-free Africa and a fully interconnected continental digital payments network.
“We are bringing together the governments, regulators, businesses and institutions capable of dismantling the barriers to movement, payments and trade. This includes banks, telecommunications companies, fintechs, airlines, logistics operators, manufacturers, technology firms, investors and development finance institutions working with policymakers to turn Africa’s integration ambitions into measurable outcomes,” said Dr Kofi Nyarko-Pong, Chief Operations Officer of the Africa Prosperity Network.
“The value of APD lies not simply in who is in the room, but in what comes out of it: new market opportunities, commercial partnerships, practical policy solutions and firm commitments that make it easier for Africans to move, pay and trade across borders,” he added.
APN is also leveraging on Ghana’s Head of State, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, becoming Chairman of the African Union next year to intensify advocacy for implementation of the essential protocols, making APD 2027 a most strategic platform, happening just weeks before the 40th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, next February.
Building on APD’s Strongest Year Yet
APD 2027 follows the most successful edition since the annual series began. APD 2026 attracted more than 6,400 delegates from 94 countries, including representatives from 51 African countries, reinforcing APD’s position as a leading platform for advancing Africa’s economic integration.
With the Kempinski Conference Hall able to accommodate only 1,000 delegates at a time, prospective participants are advised to register early to secure their places and take advantage of the early-bird rates.
Four Industry-Focused Areas
The APD 2027 programme will centre on four interconnected areas of direct relevance to business and investment:
Move Freely: Aviation, Mobility and Smart Borders
Discussions will examine visa openness, aviation connectivity, e-visas, digital identity, business and labour mobility, tourism, road and rail connectivity, and smarter border systems. This will provide a natural platform for airlines, airports, travel companies, transport operators and border-technology providers.
Pay Seamlessly: Payments, Fintech and Digital Commerce
Sessions will cover PAPSS, local-currency settlement, mobile money interoperability, bank-to-wallet connectivity, remittances, SME payments, digital identity, e-KYC, e-commerce and consumer protection. Participants will include commercial and central banks, telecommunications companies, mobile money operators, fintechs, payment networks and digital commerce platforms.
Connect Africa: Digital Infrastructure, Telecommunications and AI
This stream will focus on fibre connectivity, 5G, data centres, cloud infrastructure, satellite connectivity, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence and cross-border data flows, engaging telecommunications companies, infrastructure providers and technology firms.
Trade More: Logistics, Trade Finance and Regional Value Chains
Discussions will address trade finance, ports, transport corridors, customs, logistics, SME financing, manufacturing, regional value chains and AfCFTA implementation. Participants will include banks, development finance institutions, insurers, logistics companies, manufacturers, infrastructure investors and technology providers.
A More Integrated APD Experience
Hosting APD 2027 at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City will create a more integrated environment for high-level policy engagement, commercial interaction, executive meetings and hospitality.
The three-day programme will feature the Business and Policy Leaders’ Dialogue, the Presidential and Business Leaders’ Dialogue, CEO and Executive Roundtables, Deal Rooms and Masterclasses, Policy Workshops, Side Meetings, the Projet Afrique Exhibition, and targeted business-to-business and business-to-government engagements.
Registration Now Open
Five registration categories are available at these early bird rates:
- Side Event Pass: US$50 for Day One
- Student Pass: US$50 for all three days
- Delegate Pass: US$100 for all three days
- VIP Pass: US$300 for all three days
- Corporate Pass: US$1,000 for up to four representatives for all three days
The Corporate Pass is designed for companies and institutions seeking executive-level participation. It includes reserved seating, executive hospitality, premium conference materials, priority consideration for CEO and executive roundtables, and facilitated B2B and B2G engagement support.
Following the record participation recorded in 2026, strong demand is expected. The main conference hall can accommodate approximately 1,000 delegates at any one time, while the wider programme will run across multiple spaces throughout the three days. The Day One pass gives you full access to sector-specific mini conferences, nine in total.
Prospective participants are therefore encouraged to register early, particularly for high-demand sessions and premium participation categories.
Registration is available at www.africaprosperitynetwork.com.
About Africa Prosperity Network
Africa Prosperity Network is a not-for-profit organisation registered under the laws of the Republic of Ghana. It provides a platform for political, business and institutional leaders across Africa to collaborate in advancing sustainable prosperity throughout the continent.
Its flagship initiative, the Africa Prosperity Dialogues, is an annual platform that brings together Africa’s public- and private-sector leadership to forge partnerships and make commitments towards accelerating the creation of the continent’s single market, as envisaged under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.
APD provides a dedicated space for Africa’s political and business leaders to work together to shape, drive and deepen intra-African trade and investment, and to advance the full implementation of the Abuja Treaty (1991) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, The Africa We Want.
