Ras Mubarak's Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign returns after 31-country tour
Ras Mubarak has declared the Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign a necessary and timely intervention, as the pan-African team returned to Accra after a gruelling road journey across 31 African countries to press for a visa-free continent by 2030.
Speaking on arrival at the Black Star Square today, Ras Mubarak, the leader of the campaign, thanked the government of Ghana for backing the initiative, describing the support as critical to the success of the campaign.
He acknowledged the role of the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying their involvement helped to open doors across the continent.
“We started our journey from here with the support of the government of Ghana. And I want to begin by saying a big thank you to the government of Ghana for the support. A big thank you to the Office of the Chief of Staff to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry has been instrumental in the success of our campaign to unite this great continent,” he said.
Ras Mubarak explained that the team set out from Ghana on August 18 last year with a single objective: to engage African leaders and policymakers and make a strong case for the free movement of Africans across the continent. He said the campaign deliberately pushed for an accelerated deadline of 2030 because of Africa’s youthful population and the urgent need to create opportunities to keep young people economically engaged.
“We left Ghana on the 18th of August last year with one single aim, to travel across the continent of Africa, to meet heads of government, policy makers, and to make a passionate appeal for Africa to be visa-free by 2030,” he said.
According to him, the team travelled more than 40,000 kilometres across different time zones, cultures and terrains, describing the journey as difficult but unavoidable. He said the experience reflected the diversity of African cultures and cuisines, which he argued should be celebrated rather than mocked.
“By and large, we have had a very interesting campaign. It wasn't easy at all, from potholes to storms, you know, bad weather, dusty roads to very, very good roads. We saw it all. It wasn't easy, but I say it was necessary,” Ras Mubarak noted.
He said the campaign held high-level engagements with political leaders across the continent, including President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, the King of Eswatini, parliamentary leaders and senior government officials in Guinea, Zambia and other countries. He added that many of the discussions focused on tourism as a pathway to economic diversification.
“We want to see an Africa that is diversifying its economy,” he said, arguing that open borders would boost intra-African tourism, create jobs and generate revenue. He cited Morocco’s tourism figures as evidence of what African countries could achieve with freer movement.
Shamima Muslim, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, who spoke on behalf of the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, welcomed the team home and described the campaign as strategically timed, given Ghana’s emerging leadership role on the continent. She said the Chief of Staff and President John Dramani Mahama had been enthusiastic supporters of the initiative from the outset.
“On behalf of the Chief of Staff, on behalf of the President of the Republic, Mister Julius Debrah, President John Dramani Mahama, I say, Obaake, welcome home,” she said.
Ms Muslim linked the campaign’s objectives to Ghana’s broader continental ambitions, noting that President Mahama is expected to assume the chairmanship of the African Union. She said the findings from the journey would be useful in shaping Ghana’s engagement with Africa.
“It would help President Mahama in his vision for this, you know, reset Africa when he assumes the AU chairmanship rule,” she said.
She also urged the media to take up the campaign’s message and drive conversations about African integration, describing restrictions on movement within Africa as counterproductive.
“We can't build a united continent if the movement of people and goods remains restricted,” she said, adding, “It's a travesty that it is more expensive to travel within Africa than from Africa to the rest of the world.”
The Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign is advocating for a visa-free Africa by 2030, in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Organisers say the return to Accra marks a symbolic end to the journey but the beginning of sustained advocacy aimed at influencing policy and public opinion across the continent.
