AU To Launch Visa Free African Passport In July

In the plight to unite Africa the African Union has announced that it will launch an electronic African Passport in July. The passport is meant to give holders visa-free access to all 54 AU member states. According to the AU, the flagship project was first agreed upon in 2014, and falls squarely within the framework of Africa’s Agenda 2063.

This passport is aimed specifically to facilitate free movement of persons, goods and services around the continent – in order to foster intra-Africa trade, integration and socio-economic development.

The passport will grant visa-free access to all 54 AU member states, including South Africa, Egypt, Angola, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and others.

The passport will be unveiled at the AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda in July, and will at first be issued to heads of state and home affairs officials in AU countries. Normal citizens across Africa are expected to have received the passport by 2018. However due to the lack of infrastructure for access to the biometric systems needed to register the passports, this target might not be met.