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JOHANNESBURG. – Parliamentarians of the African Union are actively promoting the ratification of a protocol on the free movement of people across the continent, aiming to spur tourism and trade.
Margaret Jepkoech Kamar, a Kenyan senator and member of the Pan-African Parliament committee on trade, customs and immigration, said the parliament will promote trust among African countries.
“We are involved in capacity building for Pan-African Parliament members and African countries’ members of parliament to build trust, because free movement of people will create more jobs. If Africa can be open, more companies will invest and create more jobs,” Kamar told China Daily in Johannesburg, South Africa.
About 250 MPs across the continent gathered in Johannesburg recently for a meeting at the Pan-African Parliament to discuss African issues.
Kamar outlined efforts to collaborate with NGOs and engage civil societies across Africa via the AU’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council to persuade countries to ratify the protocol.
“It is important for the people to know that we need to be integrated to prosper and share the skills. We want to remove that suspicion that free movement means taking away jobs. There is no data to back up that fear,” she said.
The srotocol aims is to facilitate travel for African citizens holding valid identity documents. – ChinaDaily.com
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