Page 80 - WTM Cities Report

Challenges ahead for seamless borders
While on paper the plans would greatly bene t the region and the travel industry, the proposals are mired in challenges and much of the workings are still unclear.
Firstly, there are major discrepancies in GDP per country, resulting in fears of one-way migration to the richer countries. By 2030, for example, South Africa’s GDP per capita is expected to be 10 times higher than neighbouring Zimbabwe.
Already there are many issues with getting a passport, with Uganda recently running out of passports and Nigerian printers haggling with the government for higher pay. In Congo, a passport costs USD185, while the average income is USD680 per year, making possession of a passport only possible for the elite. How the AU
passport will be distributed is unclear, but already there is criticism that it is initially only for heads of state, rather than ordinary citizens.
GDP per Capita for Selected African Countries 2017 / 2030
Source: Euromonitor International
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
South Africa Angola Nigeria Ghana Sudan Kenya Cameroon Tanzania Mali Uganda Rwanda Zimbabwe Ethiopia Sierra Leone
0 5000
10000 15000 2030 2017
20000 25000
© 2017 Euromonitor International 77