On June 13, two weeks before the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, the African Union announced a new “single African passport.” The lead-up discussion was much like the original debate on the European Economic Community, the E.U.’s predecessor. African passport proponents say it will boost the continent’s socioeconomic development because it will reduce trade barriers and allow people, ideas, goods, services and capital to flow more freely across borders.

But now the A.U. faces the challenge of making sure the “e-Passport” lives up to its potential and doesn’t fulfill detractors’ fears of heightened terrorism, smuggling and illegal immigration.

The e-Passport is an electronic document that permits any A.U. passport holder to enter any of the 54 A.U. member states, without requiring a visa. It will be unveiled this month during the next A.U. Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. Initially, the e-Passport will only be available to A.U. heads of state, foreign ministers and permanent representatives based in the A.U.’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, . The plan is to roll it out to all A.U. citizens by 2018.

The electronic passport initiative grows out of the A.U.’s Agenda 2063, a plan to mobilize Africa’s vast resources to strengthen the region’s self-reliance, global economic power and solidarity.

Its Importance:

The e-Passport is a step toward eliminating borders on the continent, aiming to enable deeper integration, increased trade and further development. Just as important, the passport is a powerful symbol of unity across Africa and simultaneously a step toward connecting African countries economically and politically.

An A.U. passport represents the latest effort to create a common market spanning the continent, much like that in the E.U. Such efforts date back to 1963 with the creation of the Organization of African Unity. Pan-Africanists celebrating the demise of the colonial state and hailing a United States of Africa designed the O.A.U. to unite Africans and dissolve the borders between them.


Essentially, the O.A.U. sought to raise living standards by supporting leaders of anti-colonial struggles in their roles as heads of new states. In its quest to make the transition to independence as smooth as possible, the organization at times defended national sovereignty to a fault. For example, the decision to respect arbitrary colonial borders had far-reaching consequences, including numerous identity-based conflicts.

http://giditrips.com/african-union-launches-an-all-africa-passport-to-be-fully-active-by-2018

This idea is welcomed!

This idea is welcomed! The bad part is people would explore this avenue to perpetrate evil...

Am getting one as soon as it's available.

welcome thinking development

lalasticlala happy sunday

Nigrexit loading

story for the Gods. Dead on arrival.

I like this idea, but how will it work out when you go abroad? Also, how long until some idiot takes a pic of it and says, "I told you Africa was a country." XD

Getting the stage set for international integration and the coming of antichrist!

#endtimeindeed

naija no dey any nwo union...

End time tinz!

matters arising...

I doubt if Nigeria needs a union to belong. I was even hoping we pull out of ECOWAS. What can I say? It is not as if we can even secure our borders. There are more NIGERIENs leaving at angwan dere gwagwalada Abuja than there are NIGERIANs.
What is the benefit?
This people don't pay tax.
Most are criminals, stealing from people who buy them the bike the ride or stealing the bike of other riders.
Which is more, they get to vote as if they are Nigerians.
Some even enjoy more benefit in Nigeria than other NIGERIANs.
I tell you with how things are going, a Nigerien will rule Nigeria before a Gwari and this is sad.
What is the benefit of the free movement of ECOWAS to Nigeria
Let's answer this before opening our borders to Somalis and more Nigeriens.

Nice one waiting for ours

Hahaha. Is this the next step or the next thing to do or this is the only thing our leaders can think of? Out of all the problems we are facing in African.
We are finished

That means our guys go de enter south anyhow

Only if it's used for good course

Welcome news for yahoo boys.... Easy way 2 enter any African country in the A.U and scam anybody scamable

Let's wait and see...

NICE ONE BUT NA SOUTH AFRICA GO HEAR AM.

South Africa will not like this

Lol

that is my dream don come though to travel to south Africa come .

How many African countries actually have anything worth travelling there for?

Besides Tanzania no dey deny person visa lol


On a more serious note this isn't a good idea, most African countries are poor, ruled by dictators and whatever, they have no real trade or economic benefits.

I don't need Zimbabweans trekking to naija lols

Abeg #NaijaWalkOut loading.

It's a good idea. But, I wish we had developed to a point where African nations can trade among itselves without needing anything from China and the west. The passport would've been extremely useful in such a situation.

If we were manufacturing nations, we can even cut-off the rest of the world and trade among ourselves.

Abeg make I go book my flight ticket to south africa or angola

Hmm...good move.... but they also know it will promote fluid movement of terrorist like boko haram as well as increase movement of drugs by our brothers in the east.

What about foreigners coming in to take the job the real citizens can benefit from?
Because that's why UK voted to exit EU.

Joke of the year! I dey laugh.

Where is the passport