Ezulwini – Central Bank of Eswatini Governor Dr. Phil Mnisi says Africa’s economic future depends on tearing down the barriers that continue to prevent the free movement of people, goods and capital across the continent.
Responding to questions from editors and journalists at the Governor’s Annual Media Engagement Session at Sibebe Resort on Friday, Dr. Mnisi argued that Africa’s greatest obstacle is not a shortage of resources but the persistence of self-imposed restrictions that strangle trade and integration.
The Governor pointed to recent friction around vehicle movement between Eswatini and South Africa as an example of governments rolling out policies before the systems to support them are ready. 
“We tend to be quick to introduce regulations and only later realise that the processes and automation required to support those policies are not adequately prepared,” he said.
He stressed that public education must always precede policy implementation, warning that resistance grows when citizens are not adequately informed before changes take effect.
Drawing on recent discussions with African Development Bank leadership, Dr. Mnisi said Africa holds enormous financial resources but continues to rely heavily on external funding due to internal inefficiencies. A recurring complaint among African policymakers, he said, is the difficulty of moving capital across borders because of excessive regulation.
Infrastructure and logistics were also identified as major obstacles. He observed that many travel routes between African countries still require stopovers in Europe — a reality he described as absurd for a continent seeking economic integration.
“If you want to move goods across Africa, connectivity remains a challenge. Trade thrives when logistics flow smoothly,” he said.
The Governor encouraged Eswatini to treat current regional disruptions as motivation to grow domestic production and entrepreneurship, pointing to Ireland, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates as countries that deliberately engineered investment-friendly environments and transformed their economies.
“We must create an economy that produces more and exports more,” he said.
