This article in Smithsonian [1] says that the goal is to have it be available to ordinary citizens by 2020. It's not clear how this will work for Africa's 26 million refugees.
[1] http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/common-africa-passp...
> Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma says that the body has agreed “to create the conditions for member states to issue the passport to their citizens, within their national policies, as and when they are ready.”
In the article that the Smithsonian refers to:
> That's only two years away, and lately the AU has been citing 2020 as the new start date for visa-free African travel.
So far it's "they have cited 2020" which is quite a bit different from an actual statement that says that the goal is 2020 (I've yet to find that one). I've also not been able to find anything around members of the AU having committed to such or any date.
Considering that in the speech mentioned in the article that was submitted they say "as and when they are ready." I would be surprised this would happen this quickly. It would be awesome if it did though.
At least here in Kenya, I'm not going to hold my breath for the AU passport...
I suspect this is not appreciated by many in and around the system because there was a whole industry that sprang up around the process (people to stand in lines for you, make the application, etc.) and now it's less likely that a bribe will be offered ;)
But yes, new tech might help with the actual issuing/processing time. In the past, getting a new passport was a matter of a few weeks[1], but they installed various processes to supposedly enhance security. This is not unfounded, as there has been a lot of counterfeiting going on with IDs and passports, e.g. for elections, immigration (mostly from Somalia), or foreign workers. But as long as better/more efficient systems are in place, I doubt their effectiveness.
[1] Even though corruption is rampant in Kenya, it isn't too bad if you're steadfastly refusing to pay bribes.