Greetings of peace and blessing from URI-Africa.
This is to inform you that on July 17, 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda at the 27th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, the African Passport was launched.
URI-Africa welcomes the launching of the passport as it will help development toward Africa's unity by facilitating free movement of persons, goods and services around the continent - which will also foster intra-Africa trade, socio-economic development, and integration.
The e-Passport has high security features, and has five languages used for inscriptions in English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, and Swahili.
H.E Idriss Deby Itno, Chairperson of the African Union and President of the Republic of Chad, and President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda, who was the host of the 27th Summit, received the first passports, handed to them by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
"I feel deeply and proudly like a true son of Africa after receiving this passport", said President Idriss Deby while stressing the importance of fast-tracking integration on the continent to achieve socio-economic growth for the well-being of African citizens. The African Passport will be available to African citizens by 2018, including to nationals of Member States in the Diaspora.
President Kagame in his welcome address emphasized that the AU at its inception was precipitated on unity. He said that the concept of unity was what anchored human diversity in the bedrock of universal valuess.
"Whenever we gather on the basis of what unites us, there is a peaceful solution to every problem, but when people meet as strangers, even small problems are hard to resolve. "The unity of our continent, with an emphasis on integration among other things, should never be subject to preconditions or exceptions because lasting solutions always involve everyone,'' he said.
The initial plan was to issue the passports to Heads of State, Foreign Affairs Ministers and top diplomats. However, the AU has been overwhelmed by calls from many citizens who want to share the privilege of holding their African Passport, as H.E. Dlamini-Zuma explained.
She appealed that nations should accept the challenge to issue the African passports to their respective nationals within their own processes. Based on Agenda 2063's timeline, the Passport should be available to African nationals by 2018.
