Drawing on this trend, the African Development Bank indicates in its latest Africa Visa Openness Index report that only 13 African countries are now offering liberal access to other Africans. A range of non-tariff and regulatory barriers still raise transaction costs and limit the movement of goods, services, people and capital across borders throughout Africa.
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The launch of the passport is seen as a critical development to ease free movement of Africans to spur economic growth and development and promote Intra-African trade.
“Morocco is a fully-fledged member of the African family, and no-one has the right to exclude the Kingdom from the AU”, Senegalese Foreign Minister Mankeur Ndiaye said during King Mohammed’s visit to Senegal in May 2015.
The AU will also unveil a symbolic “African passport” – a step toward freedom of travel on the continent that, along with peace, the AU hopes to bring to all Africans by 2020.
“The commission is ready for the vote”.
President Muhammadu Buhari will be represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the African Union Summit formally opening on Sunday in Kigali, Rwanda.
“Our people will not have to carry a visa to gain access to other African states”.
The Chairperson of AU, Dr. Nkosazana Zuma, thought that the response of African citizens on the talk of an African passport has also been overwhelming.
The Minister further mentioned that after the launch of the African Union Passport, every country will then proceed with the issuance of the passports in accordance with their national regulations and this will be done in collaboration with the African Union.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon appreciated Rwanda’s contribution to the world body’s peacekeeping, including in the Central African Republic, Darfur, Sudan and South Sudan.
Last month, the African Union (AU) announced that it would be seeking greater regional integration through the introduction of a common e-passport that would grant visa-free access to passport holders from all 54 member states.
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Making the Academy operational is part of the decision-making, policy and program development within the framework of the Constitutive Act of the African Union.
