On Thursday, Rwanda announced a significant policy shift by allowing visa-free travel for all African nationals to the country, joining a growing list of nations across the continent adopting measures to promote free movement and enhance intra-African trade, mirroring the Schengen zone in Europe.
The announcement was made by President Paul Kagame in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, during the 23rd Global Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council. Kagame emphasized the potential for Africa to become “a unified tourism destination” and recognized the continent’s heavy reliance on tourists from outside Africa, which accounts for 60% of its tourism, according to data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
Kagame’s statement on the new policy was clear and resolute: “Any African can get on a plane to Rwanda whenever they wish, and they will not pay a thing to enter our country.” He also underscored the importance of the African market, stating, “We should not lose sight of our own continental market,” and pointed out the growing African middle class, predicting that it would play a vital role in global tourism in the coming decades.
Rwanda will become the fourth African nation to eliminate travel restrictions for African visitors once this policy is fully implemented. The other countries that have already waived visa requirements for African nationals are Gambia, Benin, and Seychelles.
This move follows Kenya’s President William Ruto’s announcement on Monday, where he revealed plans to allow all Africans to travel to Kenya without requiring a visa by December 31. Ruto expressed concerns about visa restrictions hindering economic and business activities, highlighting the importance of free movement among African nations.
The African Union (AU) initiated the concept of an African passport in 2016 with the aim of unleashing the continent’s potential by facilitating free movement. However, as of now, this passport has primarily been issued to diplomats and AU officials.
The African Union has also launched the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), an ambitious continent-wide free trade agreement valued at approximately $3.4 trillion. AfCFTA aims to create a single unified market for the continent’s 1.3 billion people, with the goal of fostering economic development and bolstering regional and continental cooperation.
-The Post Ghana
