‘Your market is Africa and beyond’ – Julius Debrah urges graduates to tap AfCFTA opportunities

Chief of Staff, Dr. Julius Debrah, has urged African graduates to look beyond their domestic markets and explore business and professional opportunities across the continent, citing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a platform for expanding trade and investment.

He said young people should build products, develop ideas and establish partnerships capable of reaching markets beyond their countries of origin.

Dr. Debrah made the call on Monday, October 12, 2026, at the maiden convocation of the University of Offa in Kwara State, Nigeria, where he represented President John Dramani Mahama.

Addressing the university’s pioneer class of 2026, he challenged graduates to adopt a continental outlook rather than limit their ambitions to their immediate communities or national economies.

“Graduands, Let me leave you with another important charge: think beyond borders. Think Africa,” he said.

He added, “Your market is not only Offa. It is not only Kwara State. It is not even only Nigeria. Your market is Africa and beyond.”

Dr. Debrah said the AfCFTA offered young entrepreneurs an opportunity to participate in a more integrated African market, allowing businesses to trade, invest and grow across national borders.

“The African Continental Free Trade Area offers your generation an opportunity to build a more integrated African market in which businesses can trade, invest and grow across borders,” he said.

He encouraged graduates to develop scalable products and collaborate with entrepreneurs and professionals from different African countries.

“Build products that can travel. Develop ideas that can scale. Form partnerships across borders. Work with Nigerians, Ghanaians, Kenyans, Rwandans, Senegalese and others across our continent,” he said.

The Chief of Staff linked the call to the vision of Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, arguing that African political independence must be accompanied by the capacity to determine the continent’s economic and developmental future.

He said Africa’s transformation would require more than government action, stressing the importance of young people’s knowledge, creativity and enterprise.

Dr. Debrah also highlighted the longstanding ties between Ghana and Nigeria, citing their shared history, commerce, culture and family connections.

“Our countries are bound together by history, commerce, culture, family ties and countless human relationships,” he said.

He added that cooperation between African countries and institutions was essential to advancing the continent’s development.

The address comes as African countries work to deepen regional integration through the AfCFTA, which is intended to facilitate trade in goods and services across the continent.

Dr. Debrah urged graduates to position themselves to take advantage of opportunities beyond their national borders.