Rwanda announces visa-free travel for Africans

It has been reported that the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has now declared that his country will grant visa-free travel to all Africans so as to boost the free movement of people and trade.

Kagame disclosed his plans on Thursday, November 2nd during a speech in Kigali, which is the capital of Rwanda.

His decision positions Rwanda as the latest African nation to implement such a measure, joining others in the pursuit of a more integrated continent to rival Europe’s Schengen zone.

The Schengen zone, consisting of 27 European countries, has successfully eliminated the need for passports and various border control measures at their shared borders.

Kagame emphasised the immense potential of Africa as a unified tourism destination.

Currently, the continent heavily depends on tourists from outside Africa, accounting for 60% of its total visitors, according to data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

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. Africans are the future of global tourism as our middle class continues to grow at a fast pace in the decades to come,

he said.

Rwanda is set to become the latest African nation that eliminate travel restrictions for its fellow Africans, this follows the footsteps of Gambia, Benin, and Seychelles.

Also, in a recent development, it was gathered that Kenya’s President William Ruto has disclosed plans to allow visa-free travel to Kenya for all Africans by December 31.