Pan-African movement advocates Visa-free movement to foster regional integration, development
Ms Ann Lorna, the Communications and Media Lead, Africans Rising, made the call in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
She noted that in spite of progress made in regional integration initiatives, there was a need to eliminate borders that stifle growth and impede the movement of people and goods on the continent.
She said to address the situation, the Africans Rising Movement had concluded preparations to hold the Borderless Africa conference from May 23-25, in Lusaka, Zambia.
She added that the three day hybrid conference would bring together all campaigners and stakeholders across the continent and diaspora who worked in diverse ways towards the realisation of a borderless Africa.
She said the hybrid gathering would also give an opportunity for Africans everywhere to participate, engage and share their contributions.
“The three days conference will majorly feature discussions and strategies pertaining to ratification and enforcement of the African Union (AU) Protocol on the Free Movement of People.
“It will stress the benefits of abolishing visas in Africa and will end with a mammoth match as a continental call for free movement of Africans in Africa, one currency and one passport.
“In the same vein, there will be continent-wide match for Borderless Africa organised by Africans on May 25th: African Liberation Day,” Lorna said.
She added that the match would be held across several Africa countries and other territories across the world to urge more countries to ratify the African Union’s Protocol on Free Movement and bring visibility to the borderless Africa campaign.
She further added that this would be one of the many activities to be organised as a continuation of 2023 mobilisation.
Lorna said the idea was to continue to push the vision of an Africa where Africans could move around their continent without the current border restrictions in place under a broad theme of a Borderless Africa for All Africans.
She explained that the Borderless Africa Campaign was a decentralised, people-owned campaign which aimed to push for the free movement of Africa people and goods in Africa.
She said the overall goal of the campaign was to achieve an Africa where Africans could move around the continent without the current border restrictions in place.
She expressed optimism that this would ensure better trade, job creation, solidarity and economic development on the continent.
“The campaign pushes for the ratification and implementation of the African Union Protocol on Free Movement of Persons in all African countries.
“Despite the progress made in regional integration initiatives, there remains an urgent need to eliminate borders that stifle growth and impede the movement of people and goods,” she said.
She recalled that the African Union adopted a Protocol on Free Movement of Persons in 2018, noting that as at 2023, only four countries ratified the protocol which required 15 ratifications to come into force.
Lorna said though progress had been slow, with Africans Rising large membership, it had been able to mobilise to promote the realisation of the initiative.
“Activities such as the People’s Petition, matches, concerts, football matches among others have been some of the activities organised as part of the campaign.
“More than 20,000 signatures have been collected through collaborative efforts by members of Africans Rising in 30 African countries and the diaspora,” she said.(https://newsatlarge.ng)