Africa won't make AfCFTA successful – Odike

Founder and Leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike has shared doubts over the success of Africa’s biggest free trade area, African Continental Free Trade Area.

According to the seasoned Ghanaian entrepreneur, despite AfCFTA being touted as the best initiative for the continent and serving as the unifying drive, the agenda is less attainable with the leaders in position.

In an exclusive interview on Happy 98.9 FM’s “Epa Hoa Daben” socio-political talk show, Odike also identified that the “African system” is retrogressive with partisan democracy as its core governance principle.

“AfCFTA has been a good initiative and vision but in my candid opinion, we can’t succeed. The barriers and mindset of the various people in position and the failure of systems working in Africa will make this less attainable,” he told Don Kwabena Prah.

He furthered, “Permit me to say partisan democracy has made the African continent retrogress. This is even more serious when you release that the Western World has made this an agenda to allow Africans believe Partisan politics is the way to go. It’s a big lie we’ve been told that partisan democracy is the best system for Africa.”

Odike opined that the partisan party democracy is an agenda to divide the continent than to unite it. Hence the AfCFTA initiative cannot stand the test of time.