During the 27th African Union (AU) summit in Kigali, Rwanda, the AU passport was launched. The idea of a visa-free passport for members of the AU was first established in 2013, as a part of the 2063 agenda, which incorporates 7 major goals to help promote a self-reliant continent. One of the primary goals of the agenda is to guarantee economic integration and unity in Africa and this passport will aid the body achieve that goal.
Having a visa-free passport is instrumental to the creation of a borderless Africa which will, in turn, accelerate socio-economic growth. According to Acha Leke, the Director of Mckinsey & Company, the passport is essential in order to boost tourism revenue and increase intra-African trade.
The release of the AU passport is a significant mile stone for the outgoing AU Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. In her last opening speech, she noted that with the launch of the passport, the body has been able to cross off two big items on its to-do list. At the summit, Dlamini Zuma presented the new passport to the incoming chairperson, H.E. Idriss Deby Itno, the President of Chad, and Paul Kagame, the Rwandan President.
Although, the passport is currently exclusive to government heads and diplomats, it is here to stay, even though it will take a while before it circulates among non-dignitaries. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma says that the body has agreed “to create the conditions for member states to issue the passport to their citizens, within their national policies, as and when they are ready.”
[venturesafrica.com/]