-Rwanda will allow Africans to travel visa-free to the country
-The move announced by President Paul Kagame aims to boost tourism among African nations
President Kagame has announced that Rwanda will allow Africans to travel visa-free to the country.
The move, according to Kagame, aims to boost free movement of people and trade to rival Europe’s Schengen zone.
Kagame pitched the potential of Africa as “a unified tourism destination” for a continent that still relies on 60% of its tourists from outside Africa.
“Any African can get on a plane to Rwanda whenever they wish, and they will not pay a thing to enter our country,” Kagame told the 23rd Global Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council.
“We should not lose sight of our own continental market,” he said.
“Africans are the future of global tourism as our middle class continues to grow at a fast pace in the decades to come.”
Once implemented, Rwanda will be the fourth African nation to lift travel restrictions for Africans.
Rwanda has recently partnered with football teams such as Arsenal and Bayern Munich to market the nation as a travel destination.
The Gambia, Benin, and Seychelles are the other nations that have waived visas for African nationals.
Rwanda has dropped visa restrictions for all Africans.
Kenya, Rwanda, The Gambia, Benin and Seychelles are the only African countries with visa free or visa on arrival status for all Africans. pic.twitter.com/HEgA24EGZI
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) November 3, 2023
On Monday, President William Ruto of Kenya declared that by December 31, all Africans would be able to travel to the country visa-free.
“Visa restrictions amongst ourselves are working against us. When people cannot travel, business people cannot travel, entrepreneurs cannot travel, we all become net losers,” Ruto said at an international summit in Congo Brazzaville.
The African Union introduced the African passport in 2016, promising to “unleash the potential of the continent” in a manner comparable to that of the European Union.
READ ALSO: Are Ugandans Generally Smarter than Kenyans?
However, up until now, the travel document has only been issued to diplomats and AU officials.
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