The move by Kenya and Rwanda to enhance free trade throughout the continent has been applauded by the African Union.
Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, declared on Thursday that any Africans wishing to go to the country in Central Africa would no longer need a visa.
Rwanda becomes the fourth African nation to do so with this introduction.
“Let there be no misunderstanding. “Any African can travel to Rwanda at any time and without any cost to enter our nation,” President Kagame declared in Kigali, highlighting the continent’s potential as “a unified tourism destination.”
Many African leaders have long supported unrestricted citizen movement throughout the continent, even going so far as to call for the creation of a single, unified African passport.
Muammar Gaddafi, the late strongman of Libya, was a fervent supporter of the free flow of people and services.
During his inauguration speech in 2017, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta made the historic announcement that all Africans would henceforth be able to obtain visas upon arrival at the tourism hub.
“We will become more integrated and appreciative of our diversity the more free we are to travel and live with one another,” Kenyatta stated.
In an effort to increase tourism, Rwanda has partnered with European football teams such as Arsenal and Bayern Munich to market the nation as a travel destination.
“We should not lose sight of our own continental market,” asserts Kagame.
“Africans will be the face of international tourism in the coming decades as our middle class continues to expand at a rapid rate.”
The move by Kenya and Rwanda to enhance free trade throughout the continent has been applauded by the African Union.
Following Kenya’s statement, AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat remarked on Twitter, “I urge all African states that have not yet done so to take similar measures.”
Mahamat informed AU trade ministers on Friday that commerce between African nations is only 16% of total trade, compared to 70% among states in the European Union.
A number of African nations have also established bilateral visa-free travel agreements; the most recent ones are between Ghana and South Africa and Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
