Mcebisi Jonas, Chairman of MTN Group, has called on African leaders and businesses to deepen regional cooperation, warning that no country on the continent can achieve lasting prosperity in isolation.
Jonas made the call during the MTN Y’ello Chair event held on Aug. 2, where he urged Africa’s largest economies to work together to unlock the continent’s economic potential.
He said the fortunes of businesses operating across Africa were closely linked to the continent’s overall economic performance.
“Our fortunes as MTN are intertwined with the fortunes of the continent. If the continent goes down, we go down. If the continent is lifted up, we also are lifted up,” he said.
According to him, corporate success cannot be sustained where regional economies remain weak or fragmented.
Jonas cautioned major African economies, particularly Nigeria and South Africa, against adopting inward-looking economic policies, stressing that their long-term prosperity depends on stronger collaboration with neighbouring countries.
“If the continent is to be propelled beyond where it is, trade between South Africa and Nigeria must improve.
“If the big economies of the continent are not working together, are not aligned in terms of agenda and are not trading with each other, then you have a problem,” he said.
He advocated the creation of a pragmatic coalition of Africa’s leading economies, comparable to the Group of Seven (G7), to coordinate economic priorities, strengthen regional integration and accelerate development across the continent.
Jonas also called for increased investment in cross-border infrastructure, including energy, transport, logistics and financial systems, to facilitate trade and improve economic resilience.
According to him, Africa’s long-term growth will depend on its ability to function as a cohesive and interconnected economic bloc.
Recent trade figures indicate growing commercial activity within the continent.
According to the African Trade Report 2025 published by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), intra-African trade increased by 12.4 per cent to 220.3 billion dollars in 2024.
The report showed that South Africa remained the continent’s largest intra-African trading nation with 42.14 billion dollars in trade, while Nigeria’s intra-African trade rose significantly to 18.43 billion dollars, from 8.1 billion dollars recorded in the previous year.
Despite the progress, Jonas noted that regulatory bottlenecks, infrastructure deficits and other cross-border barriers continued to limit the full potential of trade among African countries.
He urged governments to pursue policies that encourage greater regional integration, describing continental cooperation as essential for sustainable economic development.
