Dr Hamdy Abdelrahman Hassan

If we could take a time machine into the future, we could visit the Afrotopian world set forth in the African Union’s Agenda 2063. We would be able to behold open borders, and a world in which people, capital, goods, and services move freely across the continent, from Cairo to Cape Town, and from Dakar to Nairobi. In this same future, the old continent—Europe—struggles with the rise of an anti-immigrant right that raises alarms about the threats of irregular migration and terrorism in the borderless Schengen area. Meanwhile, the African continent of 1.2 billion people has freed itself from the borders drawn by colonialism, and has set out to build an African Schengen area. The once-abstract dream of African unity became closer to a reality when the African Union took the bold step of offering a common African passport. The first holders of this new document were two African leaders: Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the late Chadian President Idriss Déby.However, due to the civil wars and security challenges that have beset African nations in every direction, crossing borders remains an arduous task for most Africans. The World Bank estimates that, after taking all relevant factors into account, intra-African trade is more costly than trade in any other region. There are 48 African countries that allow citizens of at least one other African country to travel without a visa, but only five African countries, including Rwanda, of a total of 52 states can say that they grant that same right of visa-free entry to all Africans. For example, a US citizen can travel to most parts of Africa without a visa, while an African needs a visa to enter 60 percent of African nations.African PoliciesThe African Union has developed many policy frameworks to manage voluntary and forced movement across the continent with the goal of bolstering economic integration and development. One of the central elements of these policies is the vision set forth in Abuja Treaty of 1994, which established the African Economic Community. This treaty requires member states to gradually improve freedom of movement and ensure the rights of residence and establishment within the African Economic Community. At least 48 member states in the African Union have ratified the treaty to date.In 2006, the African Union adopted the Migration Policy Framework for Africa, which was revised in 2018 to address contemporary immigration challenges. The migration policy framework emphasizes the potential of well-managed migration to strengthen socioeconomic development. It covers key migration issues, including border management, labor migration, data management, migrant human rights, forced displacement, irregular migration, inter-state cooperation, and internal migration. Furthermore, the framework addresses social issues related to migration such as gender, health, conflict, and the environment. Despite its ambitious goals, migration law has encountered institutional, conceptual, and policy challenges. From a policy perspective, there is potential resistance from member states to fully implementing the framework due to fears about protecting employment sectors for their own citizens. From an institutional angle, the Migration Policy Framework agreement lacks an oversight mechanism to ensure compliance, which makes it non-binding and difficult to implement.In order to continue strengthening labor migration management, the African Union developed the Joint Programme on Labour Migration Governance for Development and Integration in Africa in 2015. With the support of international organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, this program has sought to recognize migration as a transformative tool for socioeconomic development in Africa. The program supports fair employment practices, the transferability of social security, and the transferability of skills in accordance with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, the African Union adopted the Free Movement of Persons Protocol in 2018 to bolster the free movement of goods, capital, services, and persons across the continent. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is part of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, aims to transform Africa into a borderless community to increase trade and investment and to strengthen Africa’s negotiating position in international trade.The AU’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) also play a crucial role in managing migration. For example, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) developed a Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence, and Establishment in 1979. This protocol was implemented in stages and makes it possible for citizens of member states to enter other ECOWAS countries without a visa for stays of up to 90 days. However, challenges such as harassment at borders and missing travel documents have been an obstacle to complete implementation. Despite progress, there are still significant barriers to achieving the African Union’s migration policy goals. It is incumbent upon the African Union to work to strengthen institutional mechanisms to ensure compliance of member states and to address issues such as xenophobia and human rights violations against migrants. Through developing a comprehensive migration policy and implementing it well, it will be possible for Africa to reap the benefits of migration and achieve a greater degree of socioeconomic development and regional integration.Freedom of Movement and Future HorizonsThe restrictive borders that colonialism created at the Berlin Conference of 1884 still determine where Africans can move. However, in order for an African free trade zone to flourish, it will be necessary to rethink those historic boundaries. The African Continental Free Trade Area is an ambitious project that aims to strengthen inter-African trade, but is at risk of floundering if the continent does not embrace complete freedom of movement. There must be a plan for freedom of movement, not as an afterthought, but as a key pillar of the African Continental Free Trade Area. The inability to move freely within Africa has contributed significantly to brain drain from the continent. Africa funds the professional educations of doctors, engineers, and computer programmers, who then emigrate to Europe or North America. One in every ten doctors practicing in the UK comes from an African country that invested significantly in their training. Since 2010, nine African countries have spent more than 2 billion USD on training doctors who then later emigrate abroad.Towards An Africa Without BordersAlthough six years have passed since the African Union Passport was first issued, its circulation remains extremely limited. African Union Passport holders, such as the prominent Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, who has business interests across the African continent, are still asked to produce other visas in some African countries. In order for a borderless Africa to become a reality, it will be necessary for countries to adopt regional integration policies and address security challenges. Encouraging entrepreneurship and strengthening unity and cooperation will be key steps in this process. By reimagining borders as bridges instead of barriers, African countries can pave the way for a future of shared progress and mutual benefit.According to the 2018 Visa Openness Report, countries that have opened their borders have enjoyed numerous advantages in sectors ranging from tourism and investment to national GDP. In fact, 18 of the 20 African countries with open visa policies saw improvements in their ranking in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index. All twenty countries also saw growth in travel, tourism, GDP, and investment. In particular, Rwanda’s decision to lift travel restrictions led to exponential growth in the number of visitors and a marked increase in conference tourism. It is becoming an acknowledged fact that integration and a borderless African will be necessary for the continent to achieve its socioeconomic and development goals.In conclusion, the vision of an Africa without borders is not only a dream, but also viable way to achieve sustainable economic development. As migrant entrepreneurs continue to drive growth across the continent, the possibility of establishing a united, flourishing Africa has become a growing possibility. The time has come for Africa to overcome its divisions and work together to establish a brighter and more prosperous future for all. In order to achieve this, it is incumbent on African leaders to demonstrate political will through accelerating the ratification of necessary laws and pursuing an integration agenda with all their energy. The time has come for Africa to reverse the brain drain abroad and to finally prevail through embracing its children as they return, and truly achieving the dream of an integrated continent.&nbsp;

Will African Countries Succeed in Lifting Internal Movement Restrictions?