The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has condemned the cases of rising xenophobia in parts of South Africa, warning that hostility toward fellow Africans threatens the continent’s integration and economic transformation agenda.
He explained that Africa could not successfully deepen intra-continental trade and regional cooperation while other Africans continued to “dehumanise” and attack one another instead of embracing unity and compassion.
He stressed that Ghana’s new foreign policy was to promote compassion, solidarity and deeper African integration, insisting that fellow Africans should not be treated as enemies but as partners in the continent’s development and liberation agenda.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 3i Africa Summit in Accra last Friday, Mr Ablakwa said it was for this reason that the country had formally petitioned the African Union (AU) to address the instances of rising xenophobia and “afrophobia” at its upcoming meeting in Egypt.
He maintained that Ghana’s new foreign policy, unlike what pertained in some other African countries, was showing that countries did not need to be wealthy or possess abundant resources to demonstrate compassion, kindness and solidarity toward countries and people facing hardship such as Sudan, Jamaica, Cuba and Palestine.
He stated that Africa’s future prosperity depended on stronger regional integration, greater belief in African products, innovation and policies rooted in cooperation rather than hatred.
“We must begin to have more compassion for one another. And I feel strongly about this point, particularly at this time that we are seeing another round of xenophobia rear its ugly head.
“We cannot be talking about trading among ourselves, integrating when we are not welcoming of each other, when we believe that other Africans pose a threat to us when they come to do business in our countries,” he said.
The summit
The 3i Africa Summit sought to signal Africa’s readiness to embrace emerging financial technologies with confidence, regulatory clarity and strong institutional leadership.
The summit, christened “The next frontier: shaping Africa’s integrated fintech future”, ran from May 6 to May 8, 2026 at the Destiny Arena of the Maker's House Chapel International in Accra.
The second edition of the biennial event hosted over 3,000 participants from across the world.
The closing ceremony was attended by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey; Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama; Governor of the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), Emmanuel Mpawe Tutuba; First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Zakari Mumuni; Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Matilda Asante-Asiedu; and other dignitaries.
It was organised by the Bank of Ghana with support from the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), Global Finance and Technology Network (GFTN) and other corporate partners.
Vision of founding fathers
Mr Ablakwa, who represented the President, cautioned that Africa could not achieve the vision of its founding fathers if xenophobia and hostility continued to divide the continent and discourage free movement, trade and investment among Africans.
“If it is the case that some guests are not following domestic laws, let law enforcement deal with that. Don't declare fellow Africans unwanted in your country,” he said.
Emulate Euro’s solidarity
The Foreign Minister urged African governments to emulate the solidarity shown by European countries toward displaced Ukrainians by welcoming and integrating fellow Africans facing hardship and conflict.
“Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that nearly 10 million Ukrainians had been displaced, with about 5.3 million forced to flee the country.
“Many European countries, including Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, welcomed the displaced Ukrainians and introduced special integration policies to help them quickly access employment opportunities and social support systems,” he said.
He stated that four years into the conflict, Ukrainians had largely been integrated into host societies, with many accepted and assimilated rather than confined to refugee camps.
“They accepted their own. You will not find to this day, four years into that war, any Ukrainian refugee camp anywhere in the world, they have been welcomed, integrated and fully assimilated,” he said.
Largest displacement
Mr Ablakwa said the international community had overlooked the fact that the largest displacement crisis was not in Ukraine but in Sudan, where over 14 million people had been displaced by conflict.
He questioned the absence of similar welcoming and integration efforts by African countries, while stressing that Ghana, under President John Dramani Mahama, had provided humanitarian support not only to Sudan but also to Jamaica during Hurricane Melissa, as well as to Cuba and Palestine.
“Have you heard any African country say, ‘Sudanese, you are welcome, come and join us’ and introduce special integration policies for them?” he questioned.
AU petition
The foreign minister observed that Ghana believed Africa’s progress depended on compassion, unity and strategic leadership aimed at deepening integration rather than division among Africans.
He said the country had petitioned the African Union to place the issue of xenophobia and “afrophobia” on the agenda of its next mid-year coordinating meeting in Egypt for continental discussions and action.
He called on African leaders to confront shared challenges with love and cooperation, warning that hatred only weakened the continent instead of building it.
“Hatred only destroys; it does not build,” he stated.
Women’s role
The Gender Minister, Dr Lartey, stated that Africa’s digital and economic transformation could not be achieved without deliberately prioritising women’s inclusion in financial systems, digital innovation and economic decision-making.
She explained that women remained the backbone of African economies through their roles in agriculture, trade, small businesses and the informal sector, stressing also that empowering women had produced wider benefits for households, communities and national development.
She said digital technologies such as mobile money, e-commerce platforms and digital credit systems presented significant opportunities to expand access to finance, lower transaction costs and opened new markets for women entrepreneurs across the continent.
“When women are economically empowered, the benefits extend far beyond the individual because communities become more vibrant and national economies become stronger and more inclusive,” she stated.
