Pan-African advocate and former Ghanaian legislator Ras Mubarak has described the Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign as a necessary and timely intervention, as the team returned to Accra after a gruelling road journey across 31 African countries to advocate for a visa-free continent by 2030.

Speaking on arrival at the Black Star Square on Tuesday, Ras Mubarak, who led the campaign, expressed gratitude to the Government of Ghana for its support, describing it as critical to the success of the initiative.

He particularly acknowledged the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting that their involvement helped facilitate engagements and access 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,” he said. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been instrumental in the success of our campaign to unite this great continent.”

Ras Mubarak explained that the team departed 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. He said the campaign deliberately set an accelerated target of 2030 due to Africa’s youthful population and the urgent need to create economic opportunities for young people.

According to him, the team covered more than 40,000 kilometres, navigating diverse terrains, weather conditions and cultures. He described the journey as challenging but necessary, adding that it offered a firsthand experience of Africa’s cultural richness and diversity.

“It wasn’t easy at all—from potholes to storms, dusty roads to very good roads. We saw it all, but it was necessary,” he said.

He revealed that the campaign held high-level engagements with several political leaders, including Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the King of Eswatini, parliamentary leaders and senior government officials in countries such as Guinea and Zambia. Discussions, he said, focused largely on tourism as a catalyst for economic diversification and job creation.

Ras Mubarak argued that open borders would significantly boost intra-African tourism and revenue generation, citing Morocco’s tourism performance as an example of what African countries could achieve with freer movement.

Welcoming the team home, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim, speaking on behalf of the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, said the campaign was well-timed, particularly as Ghana positions itself for a stronger leadership role on the continent.

“On behalf of the Chief of Staff and the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, I say welcome home,” she said.

Ms Muslim noted that President Mahama is expected to assume the chairmanship of the African Union and said the findings from the campaign would help shape Ghana’s continental engagement.

She also urged the media to amplify the campaign’s message, stressing that restrictions on movement within Africa undermine integration.

“We can’t build a united continent if the movement of people and goods remains restricted,” she said, describing it as a travesty that travel within Africa is often more expensive than travel outside the continent.

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 the end of the journey but the beginning of sustained advocacy to influence policy and public opinion across the continent.