Rwanda became the latest government on the continent to declare a policy aimed at promoting free movement of people and trade to rival the Schengen zone of Europe when it declared on Thursday that it will provide Africans entry into the country without the need for a visa.
According to data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, President Paul Kagame made the announcement in the capital city of Rwanda, Kigali. There, he promoted Africa’s potential as “a unified tourism destination” for a continent that still receives 60% of its visitors from outside of the continent.
“Any African, can get on a plane to Rwanda whenever they wish and they will not pay a thing to enter our country” said Kagame during 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.”
Rwanda will be the fourth African nation to lift travel restrictions for its citizens once they are put into effect. The Gambia, Benin, and Seychelles are further nations that have exempted citizens of Africa from needing a visa.
On Monday, President William Ruto of Kenya declared that by December 31, all Africans would be able to enter the country of East Africa without a visa.
“Visa restrictions amongst ourselves is working against us. When people cannot travel, business people cannot travel, entrepreneurs cannot travel we all become net losers” said Ruto at an international summit in Congo Brazzaville.
With great excitement, 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. However, up until now, the travel document has only been granted to diplomats and AU officials.
According to the African Union (AU) website, the African Passport and free movement of people are “aimed at removing restrictions on Africans ability to travel, work and live within their own continent.”
The African Union (AU) also established the African Continental Free Trade Area, a free trade area spanning the entire continent with an estimated value of $3.4 trillion. Its objectives are to foster economic growth and provide a single, united market for the 1.3 billion people living on the continent.
