Wina urges focus on free movement of people in Africa

Republican Vice President Inonge Wina says Africa should begin focusing on issues relating to the free movement of people following the projection by UNICEF that the continent’s population is likely to reach 2.4 billion in the next 35 years.

Ms Wina says Ministers responsible for migration should be better placed to inform the agenda on movement of people at both regional and continental level, especially that Africa’s current population of 1.2 billion is expected to double in the next 35 years.

Ms Wina states that the ministers responsible for migration should come up with recommendations on best practices that are critical to the modernization of the immigration practices, while upholding peace and security in the respective COMESA countries that are part of the consultative process.

She says she is informed that a task force was constituted to identify challenges preventing member states from signing and ratifying the protocol on free movement of people and the protocol on VISA requirements, and that a report and a draft strategy will be presented to relevant ministers for consideration.

The Republican Vice President said this in Lusaka today in a speech read on her behalf by Home Affairs Minister Davies Mwila at the fourth meeting of the COMESA Ministers responsible for immigration.

And COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya says the establishment of two task forces by COMESA Ministers responsible for immigration on the implementation of legal instruments and capacity building has started yielding results and the report of Chiefs of Immigration contains issues that have been addressed.