Baldwin Ndaba
JOHANNESBURG: A single passport for all the African Union’s (AU) member states is on the cards, and two African countries have already implemented it.
This was revealed by the AU Commissioner for political affairs, Dr Aisha Abdullahi, when she addressed the media on the sidelines of the opening of the 7th Africities Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre yesterday.
She said the decision to have a single passport for all African states was taken at a meeting of heads of state in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in 2014. Abdullahi said the idea was part of the AU 2063 Agenda to ensure that there was a free flow of domestic goods between member countries, saying Rwanda and Mauritius were implementing it.
“This would also ensure free movement of people on the continent. Our people will not have to carry a visa to gain access to other African states. There will be free trade of goods,” Abdullahi said.
She also said Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni would be the hub of the continental freight to ensure that African states paid reduced taxes and tariffs when transporting freight to various parts of the continent.
The organisers of the summit also said they would discuss the recent increase in terrorist attacks, for example in Mali and Paris.
The mayor of Dakar and president of United Cities and Local Governments Africa, councillor Khalifa Ababacar Sall, confirmed that terrorism was on their agenda.
He warned, however, against “stigmatising” it as the work of extremist Muslims.
Sall said the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Africa were mostly committed by the youth due to their socio-economic situation.
According to him, for countries to avoid these attacks, it was important for local governments to assist in providing and exposing young people to different kinds of opportunities.