Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, has proclaimed that the country will provide visa-free travel to Africans in order to promote free movement of people and trade.
Rwanda is the latest African country to take such a step, following others in the aim of a more linked continent to match Europe’s Schengen zone.
The Schengen zone, which includes 27 European nations, has successfully abolished the need for passports and other border controls at its common borders.
According to local media, Kagame unveiled his plans at an address in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, on Thursday.
Kagame underlined Africa’s enormous potential as a united tourism destination.
According to figures from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the continent now relies significantly on tourists from outside Africa, who account for 60% of all visitors.
“Any African can fly to Rwanda whenever they want and pay nothing to enter our country,” Kagame stated at the World Travel and Tourism Council’s 23rd Global Summit.
“We must not lose sight of our domestic market.” “Africans are the future of global tourism, as our middle class continues to grow rapidly in the coming decades,” he stated.
Rwanda is set to become the next African country to lift travel restrictions for fellow Africans, following Gambia, Benin, and Seychelles.
Similarly, Kenya’s President William Ruto recently announced intentions to make visa-free travel to Kenya available to all Africans by December 31.
