Rwandan President Paul Kagame has introduced visa-free travel for all Africans, making Rwanda the fourth African country to do so. “Let ther...
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Rwandan President Paul Kagame has introduced visa-free travel for all Africans, making Rwanda the fourth African country to do so.
“Let there be no mistake about it. Any African can get on a plane to Rwanda whenever they wish and will not pay a thing to enter our country,” President Kagame said on Thursday.He added that the move was aimed at capitalising on Africa’s growing tourism market, driven by the continent's growing middle class. Rwanda has been on a campaign to boost its tourism sector, partnering with football clubs like Arsenal and Bayern Munich to promote the country as a tourist destination.
Rwanda now joins Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin, as the only African countries that provide visa-free entry for all African citizens. This week, Kenya’s President William Ruto announced that the country would end visa requirements to all African visitors by 2024.
Several African countries have also entered bilateral agreements for visa-free travel, most recently Ghana and South Africa, and Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kenya is to end visa requirements to all African visitors by the end of the year, President William Ruto has said.
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| Rwanda & Kenya: African Nations Introducing Visa-free Entry for all |
While there are regional deals and bilateral arrangements, progress towards no restrictions has been slow. Only Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin offer entry to all African citizens without a visa, according to a 2022 AU-backed report.
But according to Africa's Visa Openness Index - which measures the extent to which each country in Africa is open to visitors from other African countries - most countries are making progress towards simplifying entry processes and dropping restrictions to some other nations.
In 2022, Kenya was ranked 31st on the index out of 54 states. President Ruto told an audience in Congo-Brazzaville that it was bad for business. "When people cannot travel, businesspeople cannot travel, entrepreneurs cannot travel, we all become net losers.
"Let me say this: As Kenya, by the end of this year, no African will be required to have a visa to come to Kenya," he said to loud cheers from the conference delegates. "Our children form this continent should not be locked in borders in Europe and also be locked in borders in Africa."
He was speaking at a summit aimed at protecting some of the world's largest rainforests. The AU launched its African passport in 2016. The idea behind the passport is for all African citizens to be able to travel throughout the continent without visas - but it is still not widely available.
This is in part because of concerns about security, smuggling and the impact on the local employment markets.
If dropping all visa restrictions is currently a step too far, the Visa Openness Index report recommends a number of other measures. These include lowering fees, making visa on arrival standard for African visitors and implementing a secure e-visa system. - BBC
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