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AfricaPassportNow! AfroChampions Petition for the creation of a unique African Passport

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AfricaPassportNow! AfroChampions Petition for the creation of a unique African Passport

AfricaPassportNow! AfroChampions Petition for the creation of a unique African Passport
Image credit: AfroChampions

The petition for the quick creation of a unique African passport is directed to African nationals from the continent and the diaspora and has been launched by the AfroChampions Initiative, as part of its efforts to promote and accelerate Africa’s economic integration.

On 21 March 2018, African Heads of State in Kigali signed the Agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area. The AfroChampions Initiative considers this reform to be a major step forward for our continent, which will create the free movement of people, goods and investments.

But we want all Africans to benefit as soon as possible from the new opportunities that will come out of AfCFTA – to develop business more quickly across multiple countries, to travel and study across Africa, and to take advantage of opportunities wherever they are on our continent. For this to happen, we need a single African passport – as per the proposal and plan made by the African Union two years ago.

#AfricaPassportNow – this is the name of the campaign launched to accelerate the creation of a single passport for all Africans.

Without regional economic integration, no shared development for our countries. Without possibility for us all Africans to move on the continent, no trade, no knowledge sharing, no joint projects and no economic integration.

Africa’s development requires free movement of Africans!


AfricaPassportNow!

To all Africans,

What we want is:

An African passport to further integrate Africa.

The vision that of the fathers of our independences have outlined for us all is that of an integrated Africa. Today still, our continent remains fragmented, and weakened by prejudices and ideologies resulting from our mutual misunderstanding and lack of knowledge. This African passport will allow us to get closer to each other and become aware of our resources, our talents – and re-join in common hopes. Unity will make us stronger and able to better defeat those political or economic divisions often imposed to us from outside.

An African passport to foster inclusive development.

An African passport means we can each travel freely in each of our countries. It’s about giving a young company the nerve to think bigger and quickly visit potential markets to speed up expansion. It’s about giving our elderly people the opportunity to visit their loved ones elsewhere, or to heal where doctors and good infrastructure are available. It’s about setting up the foundations of a real exchange policy between schools and higher education institutions. It’s about giving an African regional player the ability to become truly “pan-African”. It’s about putting in place the incentives to drive the development of cross-borders and multimodal infrastructures. It’s about giving a boost to many industries – tourism, hotels, road transport, air, services, agroprocessing, education…. The African passport is the strategic tool that make economic development tangible for everyone.

An African passport to send a strong signal to the rest of the world.

The African passport is a message to other regions. To those who regard Africans as a threat, or as a negligible amount or an indistinct group, we will present this passport as a reflection of what we are and what our continent represents. We hope to see this passport eventually recognized at all airports in the world. We will make this passport a tool for transformation. As we helplessly witness our young people risk their lives to settle outside Africa, we must act. The African passport will be a way to make our youth discover the opportunities that exist on the continent, and give it reasons to hope.

An African passport to complement ongoing reforms.

We are launching this petition because the moment has come. The African passport is critical to support on-going pan-African economic policies. Late January, the Open Sky project, which will bring together 23 African countries, was launched. In a few weeks from now the Agreement on the continental Free Trade Area will be signed in Kigali. It is a major economic development for the continent, implementing free movement of goods and capital. Free movement of persons is also planned, starting first with certain categories of economic operators. We want to accelerate this process so that as many people can benefit from it as quickly as possible. Facilitating the movement of those who need to travel to perform their job is necessary – as necessary as opening opportunities for those who do not yet have a job.

Some may express reluctance and highlight the difficulties inherent in the creation of an African passport, including discrepancies between national administrations, which complicate the process, or -heavier- issues resulting from the fight against terrorism. We yet believe that these difficulties can be overcome now – with a clear roadmap, coordination, and ambitious goals in terms of security and traceability of people that the biometric passport can definitely help to achieve.

The African passport will soon become a reality. What we just need is strong political will on this issue – and to that end we are addressing this petition to the African Union and our public decision-makers.

To each and every one of you who feels that the African passport can be a positive instrument for change, we ask to support this project by

  • Electronically signing this petition via the form available on this page
  • Sharing the link with all your relatives, personal and professional contacts.
  • Following and sharing our posts and updates on social media

Until 30 April 2018, 5 weeks of campaign – to exceed, we hope, the bar of a million signatures!

You can make a difference!

Sign the Petition here.

Contact

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