Last week, we were delighted to attend Atlas Network’s Africa Liberty Forum in Accra, Ghana. Events that bring so much of the African freedom movement together are rare, and it is always worthwhile to take those opportunities to discuss ongoing and future projects in-person with partners across the continent.
The trip also gave us an opportunity to bring books and other important resources directly to partners, particularly those who are just beginning to build new programmes, libraries, and resources of their own. We were able to donate around 200 books and more to eight partners at the conference.
Ironically, that process taught us a valuable first-hand lesson about the challenges created by trade barriers. Firstly, the need to obtain a visa to enter Ghana added an extra level of expense and bureaucracy from the off. While Ghana’s new e-visa system and waiving of visa requirements and fees for other African countries are very promising developments, it’s clear that the system for even short-term visits likely discourages opportunities for exchange and investment involving foreigners.
Customs rules also complicated book transportation compared to conferences in Europe or North America. Navigating the complexities and uncertainties of rules around tariffs, VAT, and exemptions was a real challenge. Ultimately, I came to Accra airport with a printed dossier of papers citing Ghana’s tax and duty exemptions for educational materials, invoices for each book’s purchase, and a letter confirming their charitable purpose from the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education.
Ultimately, the very friendly customs officer wasn’t particularly concerned about my baggage and waved me through very quickly. For non-profit organisations occasionally visiting with suitcases of educational materials, none of this matters much. But when these barriers compound over time, they represent real losses for the Ghanaian economy.
With customs cleared, the rest of the week was an excellent experience. Seeing our partners from CDE-Great Lakes in Burundi win the 2026 Africa Liberty Award was a particular highlight. Congratulations to the Eastern Caucus from Zimbabwe and our partners at The Liberalist Centre for Education in Nigeria for being nominated as finalists. Our thanks go to Atlas Network, IMANI, and Africa Centre for Entrepreneurship and Youth Empowerment for hosting.
Harrison Griffiths is a Project Manager at the European Policy Information Center (EPICENTER), where he manages partnerships for the IATP and Whetstone Freedom Fund.
Last week, we were delighted to attend Atlas Network’s Africa Liberty Forum in Accra, Ghana. Events that bring so much of the African freedom movement together are rare, and it is always worthwhile to take those opportunities to discuss ongoing and future projects in-person with partners across the continent.
The trip also gave us an opportunity to bring books and other important resources directly to partners, particularly those who are just beginning to build new programmes, libraries, and resources of their own. We were able to donate around 200 books and more to eight partners at the conference.
Ironically, that process taught us a valuable first-hand lesson about the challenges created by trade barriers. Firstly, the need to obtain a visa to enter Ghana added an extra level of expense and bureaucracy from the off. While Ghana’s new e-visa system and waiving of visa requirements and fees for other African countries are very promising developments, it’s clear that the system for even short-term visits likely discourages opportunities for exchange and investment involving foreigners.
Customs rules also complicated book transportation compared to conferences in Europe or North America. Navigating the complexities and uncertainties of rules around tariffs, VAT, and exemptions was a real challenge. Ultimately, I came to Accra airport with a printed dossier of papers citing Ghana’s tax and duty exemptions for educational materials, invoices for each book’s purchase, and a letter confirming their charitable purpose from the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education.
Ultimately, the very friendly customs officer wasn’t particularly concerned about my baggage and waved me through very quickly. For non-profit organisations occasionally visiting with suitcases of educational materials, none of this matters much. But when these barriers compound over time, they represent real losses for the Ghanaian economy.
With customs cleared, the rest of the week was an excellent experience. Seeing our partners from CDE-Great Lakes in Burundi win the 2026 Africa Liberty Award was a particular highlight. Congratulations to the Eastern Caucus from Zimbabwe and our partners at The Liberalist Centre for Education in Nigeria for being nominated as finalists. Our thanks go to Atlas Network, IMANI, and Africa Centre for Entrepreneurship and Youth Empowerment for hosting.
Harrison Griffiths is a Project Manager at the European Policy Information Center (EPICENTER), where he manages partnerships for the IATP and Whetstone Freedom Fund.
Harrison Griffiths