Lead campaigner for the Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign, Ras Mubarak, has welcomed an invitation from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union Commission to participate in a high-level panel discussion on the sidelines of the 39th Ordinary Summit of African Union Heads of State and Government.

The panel discussion, scheduled for February 13 in Addis Ababa, will focus on advancing the vision of a “Visa-Free Africa” by 2030, an initiative widely viewed as a catalyst for boosting tourism, trade, investment and economic resilience across the continent.

Themed “How can we move faster towards a visa-free Africa?”, the discussion aligns closely with the objectives of the Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign, which advocates freer movement of people as a foundation for deeper continental integration.

Speaking ahead of the event, Ras Mubarak expressed delight at the invitation, describing it as a timely opportunity to contribute to a growing continental consensus on easing travel restrictions within Africa.

He noted that a visa-free regime would unlock Africa’s vast tourism potential, strengthen intra-African trade and foster people-to-people connections.

He said he looks forward to sharing practical insights on accelerating progress, addressing longstanding bottlenecks, and proposing bold, actionable reforms to drive transformational change in Africa’s mobility agenda.

The high-level engagement is expected to bring together policymakers, development partners and stakeholders committed to advancing Africa’s integration goals under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.