African leaders attending the African Development Bank Group's 2026 Annual Meetings in Brazzaville on Monday marked Africa Day with the host, President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, announcing that the Republic of the Congo would waive visa requirements for all African nationals from next year.
The announcement, marking another significant step towards continental integration, drew prolonged applause from thousands of delegates attending the meetings taking place at the Kintele Conference Centre.
"As from the first of January 2027, nationals of all African countries will have visa-free access and will no longer need a visa to come to Congo," he said, urging countries to move beyond "selfishness and nationalism" and deepen regional integration through practical implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The commemoration brought together African heads of state and government, ministers, diplomats, investors, development partners, civil society representatives, youth leaders, and private-sector stakeholders united around Africa's regional integration and transformation agenda.
Observed annually on 25 May, Africa Day commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa in 1963, which later evolved into the African Union. This year's celebration is aligned with the African Union's 2026 theme, "Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063."
President Sassou-Nguesso called for increased investments to ensure sustainable development, and accelerated action to improve water security and access to sanitation across Africa.
The Congolese leader stressed that no African state could independently finance the infrastructure needed to transform the continent, highlighting the need for collective investment in roads, railways, airports, ports, and energy systems.
President Sassou-Nguesso also renewed calls for global mobilisation around ecosystem restoration and reforestation, describing Africa's forests as "a second green lung of humanity" and underscoring the continent's role in addressing climate change.
In his statement, the President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Sidi Ould Tah, stressed the need for deeper continental integration, stronger African institutions, and renewed confidence in Africa's ability to shape its own future amid mounting global uncertainty.
Describing Africa Day as "a dialogue of peace, solidarity and resilience," Dr Ould Tah reiterated that Africa's future depended on transforming its abundant natural resources into drivers of dignity and prosperity.
"Too often Africa is described in terms of what it lacks," he said. "But if we focus only on what Africa does not have, we fail to see what it already possesses."
He said Africa must strengthen its "collective agency" through deeper regional integration, stronger continental institutions, and a new African financing architecture capable of supporting long-term development ambitions.
"The generation of 1963 gave us political agency," Ould Tah said. "Our responsibility now is to strengthen Africa's collective agency through deeper integration, stronger institutions, and inward confidence in our ability to build our future together."
In remarks delivered via video link, African Union Chairperson and President of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, called for greater African solidarity, accelerated continental integration, and reforms to global governance systems to better reflect Africa's growing role in world affairs.
Representing the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, said the celebration of Africa Day provided an opportunity to pay tribute to the African Development Bank Group for its critical role as the continent's premier development financier.
"For decades, the African Development Bank has demonstrated that an Africa that invests in itself is an Africa that strengthens its economic sovereignty, its resilience, and its ability to take control of its own development," she stated.
The programme, moderated by veteran Cameroonian journalist Denise Epoté, also showcased the grandeur of African art and culture brought to life by Congolese dancers and the evocative poetic recitations of Mariusca and Maître Muleck.
The 2026 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group are being held in Brazzaville under the theme "Mobilising Africa's Development Financing at Scale in a Fragmented World."
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