Johannesburg - A single passport for all AU member states is on the cards, and already two African countries have implemented it.
This was revealed by AU Commissioner for Political Affairs Dr Aisha Abdullahi when she addressed media at the #Africities summit on Sunday.
She said the decision to have a single passport for all African states was taken at a meeting of heads of states in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, last year.
Abdullahi said the idea was part of the AU 2063 Agenda to ensure 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 on Monday.
She also said Joburg and Ekurhuleni would be the hub of continental freight to ensure African states pay 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 terrorist attacks in Paris and Mali.
Khalifa Ababacar Sall, the mayor of Senegal’s capital Dakar, who is also president of the United Cities and Local Governments Africa, confirmed that terrorism was on their agenda.
However, he warned against stigmatising the attacks as the work of extremist Muslims.
Sall’s understanding of recent terrorist attacks in Africa was that they were mostly committed by young people, due to their adverse socio-economic situations.
He said it was important for local governments to assist in providing and exposing young people to different kinds of opportunities.
The Star