FILE
–
A
man
puts
an
expired
passport
in
his
pocket
while
waiting
in
a
queue
to
submit
an
application
for
a
new
passport
at
the
main
office
in
Harare,
June
14,
2019.
Zimbabwean
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
announced
the
agreement
with
Botswana’s
President
Mokgweetsi
Masisi
at
the
Kusi
Ideas
Festival
in
Botswana
on
Thursday.
The
festival,
co-hosted
by
Kenya’s
Nation
Media
Group
and
the
Botswana
government,
brought
together
African
leaders
and
thinkers
to
discuss
the
continent’s
future.
Mnangagwa
said
the
two
leaders
had
instructed
their
officials
to
clear
any
legal
obstacles
to
the
passport-free
travel.
He
said
the
decision
was
motivated
by
their
shared
African
identity
and
vision.
“We
should
be
able
to
walk
into
Botswana,
walk
into
Zambia,
walk
into
Kenya…
Why
should
we
restrict
ourselves?”
Mnangagwa
said.
The
passport-free
travel
is
expected
to
increase
economic
ties,
tourism
and
cultural
exchange
between
Zimbabwe
and
Botswana.
It
is
also
seen
as
a
step
toward
a
borderless
Africa,
where
citizens
can
move
and
trade
freely
within
the
continent,
as
envisioned
by
the
African
Union’s
Agenda
2063.
Post
published
in:
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