Launch of an African Citizens Passport

Today, several civil society organizations issued an African citizens passport to the Ghanaian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Nana Akuffo Addo in a pre-Summit Continental Conference organized by the AU Ghanaian Civil Society Coalition. The passport is a response to a growing demand by African citizens for an easing of restrictions on travel within Africa by African Governments as a pre-condition for African citizenship.

Speaking at the launch Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Rahim of the UN Millennium Campaign forcefully argued, “We cannot have a union of African states or even a continental government without continental citizenship. If citizenship is the fundamental basis of any effective national state, why shouldn’t it be so at the level of the Africa Union?”

The passport is green, carries an African logo and calls on African Governments to allow the bearer “to freely pass, trade, work and reside in all parts of Africa with full rights, entitlements and responsibilities of citizenship”.

Millions of African refugees, travelers and undocumented workers currently living in neighboring countries are exposed to discrimination and the denial of the rights to an identity, to freely work and access essential services.

“The Grand Debate must prioritise full citizenship status for women, particularly for women who marry across nationalities and currently lose their rights as a result” says Roselyn Musa of the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights Coalition.

Thomas Deve, an economist with the Harare based MWENGO argues that “a simple demonstrable decision the Heads of States, led by the current AU Chairperson, could take next week, would be to abolish the need for visas for African citizens traveling within Africa. This would move the debate from, just that, debate to a decision that would capture the imagination of 832 million African people”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs accepted the passport and promised to consider the issue in their deliberations next week.

ENDS

Notes for editors

1. The Passport for African Citizens will be available for citizens to be downloaded from http://www.aumonitor.org on Thursday 28th June, the date of the opening of the Executive Council.

2. During Africa Union Day on May 25th of this year, the Chairperson of the Africa Union launched an African Diplomatic passport that is only available to AU Commission staff and some diplomats. Attempts to agree on a more inclusive document have so far proved illusive.

3. A number of regional economic communities including SADC, EAC and ECOWAS have lifted travel restrictions on their nationals traveling within their communities. The demand for the abolishing of visas across Africa would merely extend this to the continental level.

4. The abolition of travel visas is the first step in the adoption of a Protocol on free movement of persons, goods and services in Africa.

For interviews with proponents of free movement of persons, goods and services please contact:

Ivy Maina Mobile 0207964071
Ruby Quantson Mobile 0244659827

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