*A common AU passport will face obstacles/ Oxford Analytica 15.07.16* AU states will measure security and immigration threats against the benefits of visa-free travel
African leaders on July 17 plan to begin the gradual introduction of an African Union (AU) passport. Once implemented, the AU passport will allow citizens of the 54-member bloc to travel visa-free between respective states with the aim of spurring growth, trade and development across the continent. In 2010, intra-African trade only comprised 12% of regional trade, a figure that slightly increased to 13% by 2015, according to the AU. The new passports will first be available to senior government figures before the general population; the AU wants to rollout the passports to citizens by 2018, but implementation barriers will likely add years to the process. Individual countries, rather than the AU, will be responsible for producing the passports. Several countries have already moved toward easier entry at borders for African citizens, including Rwanda and Ghana. Our judgement Implementation of a common passport will be uneven, as member states vary in their capacity to manage the process. Some states, especially those threatened by external security threats or migration flows, could resist the move toward unhindered regional travel. -- To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/southsudankob View this message at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/southsudankob/topic-id/message-id For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14ooyfGK%2BdV7%2Bq_FE8KatsLn4rsA%2Bzx5wbVvnsJJJwMpuYw%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
