- Kenya to end visas for Africans.
- President Ruto’s announcement.
- Progress in visa openness.
Kenyan President William Ruto announced that Kenya will no longer require visas from all African visitors by the end of the year.
It is time for us to recognise that instituting visa restrictions internally is detrimental,” he stated at an international conference.
Visa-free travel throughout the African Union (AU) has been a priority for the past decade. Despite bilateral and regional agreements, the elimination of restrictions has been a slow process.
Only Seychelles, The Gambia, and Benin grant visa-free entry to all African citizens, according to a report endorsed by the AU in 2022.
However, as indicated by Africa’s Visa Openness Index, which gauges the degree to which African nations welcome visitors from other African nations, the majority of countries are advancing in their efforts to streamline entrance procedures and eliminate limitations on certain foreign nationals.
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Out of a total of 54 states, Kenya was positioned 31st on the index in 2022.
President Ruto declared to a Congo-Brazzaville audience that the situation was detrimental to commerce.
“When individuals, businesspeople, and entrepreneurs are unable to travel, we all incur net losses.”
“Perhaps by the conclusion of this year, no African will be obligated to possess a visa in order to enter Kenya,” he declared to the raucous applause of the conference attendees.
“Our children from this continent should not be locked in borders in Europe and also be locked in borders in Africa.”
He addressed a summit with the objective of safeguarding some of the most expansive rainforests on the planet.
In 2016, the AU introduced the African passport. The passport allows visa-free travel across Africa for all citizens, however it is not commonly available.
Security and smuggling issues also local employment market effects are to blame.
If abolishing all visa restrictions now would be too much, the Visa Openness Index report recommends many alternatives. These include reducing fees, instituting a secure e-visa system, and standardising visa-on-arrival for African visitors.
