ALGIERS, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Wednesday issued a new and unified African postage stamp to commemorate the centenary of the birth of anti-apartheid icon, the South African late leader, Nelson Mandela.

Both Minister of Post, Telecommunications, Technology and Digitalization, Imene Houda Feraoun, and Foreign Minister, Abdelkader Messahel, attended the ceremony of issuing the postage stamp, which was held at the Museum of the History of Post and Telecommunications at the "Grand Post" in the capital Algiers.

The idea of issuing a unified postage stamp was initiated at the 37th ordinary session of Pan-African Postal Union (PAPU) held in Algiers in April, to pay tribute to Mandela, who devoted his life to combat apartheid in South Africa.

Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison to defend his cause, passed away in 2013. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, before he became the first South African president in the same year.

Algerie Post is also due to issue a stamp bearing the logo "Al-Quds, eternal capital of Palestine" on November 15, which will coincide with the anniversary of the proclamation of the State of Palestine in Algeria in 1988.