Kenyan President William Ruto has announced that there will be an end to visa requirements for all African visitors by the end of the year.
Kenya has become the fourth African country to abolish visas for African nationals, following Seychelles, The Gambia, and Benin.
For the past decade, the African Union (AU) has sought unrestricted travel for Africans inside the continent.
Speaking at an international conference recently, Ruto said, “It is time we realised that having visa restrictions amongst ourselves is working against us.”
However, according to Africa’s Visa Openness Index, which assesses how open each African country is to visitors from other African countries, most countries are making progress in simplifying entry processes and eliminating limitations for some other countries.
Kenya was rated 31st out of 54 states in 2022, but Ruto told a crowd in Congo-Brazzaville that visa restrictions were bad for the African economy.
“When people cannot travel, businesspeople cannot travel, and 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 from this continent should not be locked in borders in Europe and also be locked in borders in Africa.”
He stated this at a summit aimed at protecting some of the world’s largest rainforests.
In 2016, the African Union issued its first African passport. The passport is intended to allow all Africans to travel throughout the continent without the need for visas; however, it is still not widely available.
This is due in part to worries about security, smuggling, and the influence on local labour 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 standards for African visitors, and implementing a secure e-visa system.
