Africa’s long-term prosperity will depend on expanding economic opportunity, strengthening regional integration and creating conditions for inclusive growth rather than focusing solely on migration, MTN Group Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita said.
Speaking at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation Winter Seminar, Mupita said migration should be viewed as a consequence of uneven economic development, arguing that governments and businesses must work together to create opportunities that allow more Africans to participate meaningfully in their economies.
“The future of Africa will not be determined by the borders that separate us but by the economic opportunities that connect us. Governments must set predictable policy and regulations. Businesses will follow and allocate resources and capital. Together, we can build a continent where opportunity is more evenly shared and prosperity is more widely created,” he said.
The seminar brought together government officials, business leaders, diplomats, academics and civil society representatives to examine the relationship between migration, development and Africa’s future.
Mupita said discussions about migration often overlook the underlying economic factors driving people to move across borders.
“If our discussion ends with the language of crisis around migration, we will have treated the symptom and missed the deeper challenge. People move because opportunity is unevenly distributed. The defining question is whether we can build economies in which mobility is matched by opportunity.”
He said Africa’s growing population would only translate into sustained economic growth if countries invested in skills development, infrastructure, access to finance, markets and strong institutions.
Digital infrastructure has become a critical enabler of economic participation by connecting people to education, entrepreneurship, financial services, public services and markets, Mupita said, highlighting the telecommunications sector’s role in supporting inclusive growth.
“MTN was born in South Africa and has grown alongside the continent. Our prosperity is inseparable from Africa’s prosperity,” Mupita said, adding that digital infrastructure and services have become increasingly important enablers of economic participation. They connect people to each other but also to education, entrepreneurship, financial and public services, and to markets.
MTN, which sponsored this year’s seminar, said platforms that bring together policymakers, business leaders and civil society are essential for developing practical solutions to challenges affecting the continent’s development.
Mupita said stronger connectivity extends beyond telecommunications infrastructure and should include deeper economic integration and collaboration across African countries.
“MTN believes that Africa’s strength lies in its connectivity – not only through networks, but through people, ideas and shared identity. This initiative is about building bridges, not borders,” Mupita concluded.
