The Coordinator of Africans Rising movement, Hardi Yakubu has stated that achieving a borderless Africa is a must for Africans.
Speaking at the launch of the ‘People’s Petition for Borderless Africa,’ Mr. Yakubu indicated that the time has come for Africans to legally move freely from one point in Africa to the other without needing a visa to do so.
“What we want is an Africa where all people are seen as citizens of the landmass are permitted to move, interact and trade with others without the unimaginable diplomatic restriction we currently have,” he said.
“The concept of a borderless Africa is not new and that is the more reason we have to ensure that we achieve this initiative to ensure that the movement of people in Africa is eased. We cannot have an Africa where when you are moving from one place to another, one needs a visa to do that, and it is even easier for Europeans to move across Africa than it is for Africans doing the same.”
“We want to bring the African Union’s Free Movement of Persons Protocol alive and ensure that the people are aware and are able to push their respective governments to ratify the protocol.”
Borderless Africa – Free Movement Campaign is a product of the All-African Movements Assembly (AAMA) held from 29-31 August 2022 in Arusha Tanzania, bringing together over 600 members of Africans Rising – Pan-African social movements, activists, human rights defenders, advocates, and key stakeholders from 55 countries across the continent and the diaspora.
The goal of the campaign is to achieve an Africa where Africans can move around their own continent without the current restrictions in place. For better trade, integration and development.
The objective of the campaign among other things is to see; the abolition of visa requirements for travel of Africans within Africa, bringing the AU protocol on free movement into force by getting at least 16 more countries to ratify it by 25th May 2023, the organization of a continent-wide grassroot push for the mass roll-out of the African passport, and the facilitation of trade among Africans through the free movement of people and goods.