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Rwanda Announces Visa-free Travel For Nigerians, Others

Published

1 year ago

Nov 4, 2023.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has announced that the nation will introduce visa-free travel for Nigerians and other African nationals in a bid to promote the free movement of people and trade.

This decision positions Rwanda as the latest African country to adopt such a policy, aligning with other nations in their efforts to create a more integrated continent, similar to Europe’s Schengen zone.

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

According to local media reports, Kagame unveiled this plan during a speech in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, on Thursday.

Kagame emphasized the considerable potential of Africa as a unified tourism destination. Currently, the continent heavily relies on tourists from outside Africa, accounting for 60% of its total visitors, as per data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs

“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 poised to become the latest African nation to eliminate travel restrictions for fellow Africans, following in the footsteps of Gambia, Benin, and Seychelles.

Similarly, in a recent development, Kenya’s President William Ruto has revealed plans to allow visa-free travel to Kenya for all Africans by December 31.

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