Mercy JohnsonThe President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame announced the removal of visa restrictions for all Africans intending to visit the Central African nation.
“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,” Kagame stated in Kigali when he spoke on the potential of Africa as “a unified tourism destination.”
Rwanda has clamored to boost its tourism sector, partnering with European football clubs like Arsenal and Bayern Munich to promote the country as a country for tourism.
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According to Kagame, “We should not lose sight of our own continental market.”
“Africans are the future of global tourism as our middle class continues to grow at a fast pace in the decades to come,” he added.
This comes as Kenya President William Ruto of Kenya recently told an international conference in Congo-Brazzaville that his country is set to end visa requirements for all African visitors by the end of this year.
For years, there have been other African leaders who have nursed the idea of the movement of Africans across the continent without restrictions, even to the point of advocating a unified single African passport.
The late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, had been a strong proponent of the free movement of people and services.
Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta had during his inauguration speech in 2017, announced that the tourism hub will now give visas on arrival to all Africans.
“The freer we are to travel and live with one another, the more integrated and appreciative of our diversity we will become,” Kenyatta had said.
The African Union has commended the decision of Rwanda and Kenya to improve free trade across the continent.
“I urge all African states that have not yet done so to take similar measures,” AU Commission chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat said on X (formerly Twitter) after Kenya’s announcement.
This move by the Rwandan President to grant free access to all Africans makes Rwanda the fourth African country to do so.
Other countries that have granted free access for Africans include Seychelles, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros.
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