The Kenyan Africa Union Commission (AUC) Chairmanship candidate, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has hinted at plans to introduce AU Visas if he cliches the seat.
He said the AU Visas will enhance the free movement of people and goods across the continent, promoting intra-African trade.
Speaking during the official opening of the World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in Kisumu on Monday, he said the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement signed in 2018 has failed to register success due to bottlenecks that hamper movement from one country to another.
He said traders and businessmen must have up to 35 visas to travel across Africa, whereas their counterparts who hold French passports freely travel since they do not require a visa.
He said this has seen the growth of intra-Africa trade as a share of global trade decline to 13.7% in 2022, with African countries trading more outside the continent.
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Further, he said his priority if elected AUC Chair will be uniting the continent to speak with one voice to unlock bottlenecks in trade, among other issues.
The former Prime Minister added that he would leverage the continent’s rich culture, music, and culinary arts to forge a unified front that would unlock opportunities for the continent.
“We enjoy Congolese music across the continent just the way we enjoy Ethiopian delicacies among others but we have failed to use this diversity to unify the continent,” he said.
Raila will compete with Djibouti’s Mohamoud Youssouf, Anil Gayan (Mauritius), and Richard Randriamandrato (Madagascar) for the African Union Commission chairmanship in the race to succeed the outgoing chairman, Moussa Faki of Chad.
Somalia’s former Foreign Affairs Minister, Fawzia Yusuf, dropped her bid for the AUC job.
