Intra-African migration and the prospects for regional integration

Abstract

continental unity and integration: peace and security, democracy and governance, socio-economic development, and repositioning Africa in the global arena. A major theme that cuts across the four agendas is migration (i.e. human movement). It needs to be emphasized that migration has been part and parcel of human life from time immemorial (Cohen 2019). It cannot be wished away. It is here to stay. This chapter discusses intra-African migration of Africans with a special focus on the free movement of persons. The principal thesis of the chapter is that, while the free movement of persons is key for the pursuit of Pan-African unity from below, efforts of the AU on this front lag far behind its expansive and progressive normative frameworks. The key normative instrument of the AU in this regard is the 2018 Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment, together with its Implementation Roadmap. The chapter advances knowledge on migration in general and free movement of persons in particular by arguing that to open up the continent to its citizens to move freely across the colonially constructed borders, the noble idea of free movement of persons should be pursued with the same vigour with which member states of the AU are pursuing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Although the easiest starting point is the relaxation (and ultimately abolition) of visas, a major catalyst for the free movement of persons is surely the issuance of an African passport to the public, which is bound to accelerate progress toward a common identity and a shared African citizenship.