African Union launches single African passport at Addis Ababa summit

The African Union formally launched the African Passport at its summit in Addis Ababa on Sunday, with twenty-three member states signing a binding implementation framework that commits them to issuing the biometric travel document to citizens and removing visa requirements for African passport holders by 2028.nnThe launch represents the most significant practical step toward the African Union’s Agenda 2063 commitment to free movement of people since the Abuja Treaty of 1991. Previous attempts to operationalise the concept had stalled repeatedly on concerns about security, immigration management and revenue loss from visa fees.nnAU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat described the launch as “a quiet revolution in African consciousness — the recognition that a Malian in Nairobi, a Ghanaian in Dar es Salaam and a South African in Dakar are not foreigners but fellow citizens of a continent finding its unity.”nnGhana was among the signatory states, with Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey confirming that the country’s passport agency was already in technical discussions with the AU’s digital infrastructure team about system integration.nnCritics noted that implementation details remain sparse — no agreement has been reached on cost-sharing for the biometric infrastructure, and several major economies including Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia have not yet committed to the 2028 target.nnThe African Continental Free Trade Area secretariat said the passport was a natural complement to the free trade agreement and would dramatically reduce the friction costs that currently impede intra-African commerce.