Rwanda announced on Thursday that it will allow Africans to travel visa-free to the country, joining the list of other African nations to announce such a measure aimed at boosting free movement of people and trade in the continent.
President Paul Kagame made the announcement during a speech in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, where he pitched the potential of Africa as “a unified tourism destination.”
“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.”
Africa still relies on 60% of its tourists from outside Africa, according to data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
Once the new policy is implemented, Rwanda will join The Gambia, Benin and Seychelles as the only African countries that provide visa-free entry for all African citizens.
On Monday, Kenya’s President William Ruto announced that the country would end visa requirements to all African visitors by 2024.
“Visa restrictions amongst ourselves is working against us. When people cannot travel, business people cannot travel, entrepreneurs cannot travel we all become net losers” said Ruto at an international summit in Congo Brazzaville.
Several African countries also have bilateral agreements for visa-free travel, most recently Ghana and South Africa, and Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
