Kenyan President William Ruto recently unveiled plans to eliminate visa restrictions for African tourists and travelers by the end of this year, marking a significant step towards promoting intra-continental trade and tourism.
The African Union (AU) has long had a goal of promoting visa-free travel within the continent. Despite regional and bilateral agreements, progress towards achieving completely unrestricted travel has been slow, VisaGuide.World reports.
As of 2022, only Seychelles, Gambia and Benin allow visa-free entry for all African citizens, according to an AU-backed report.
According to the Africa Visa Openness Index of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, which assesses how accessible African countries are to visitors from other African nations, many countries in the continent have taken steps to simplify entry procedures and reduce restrictions for specific nations.
Last year, Kenya was ranked 31st out of 54 African countries for this index. Costly and time-consuming visa requirements, along with high airfares, have long acted as a barrier to intra-African travel for African passport holders; 32 out of 54 African countries still require citizens from at least half or more of the countries on the continent to obtain a visa.
“Our children from this continent should not be locked in borders in Europe and also be locked in borders in Africa,” Ruto noted.
The AU introduced the African passport in 2016 to enable unrestricted travel for all African citizens across the continent, eliminating the need for visas. However, the widespread availability of this passport has been limited.
This came as a results of concerns related to security, issues of smuggling, and potential impacts on local job markets. These concerns have slowed down the full implementation of the African passport and the achievement of its vision of visa-free travel for all Africans.
Moreover, in December last year, Kenyan and Eritrean authorities agreed to streamline travel between their countries by abolishing visa requirements for each other’s citizens.
Both nations view this decision as a means to strengthen their bilateral relations and simplify travel processes. In addition, they have committed to collaborating and consulting on regional integration, as well as promoting peace, development, and security in the Horn of Africa.
As of October 2023, the Kenyan passport is ranked 133rd in the world based on the VisaGuide Passport Index. This ranking implies that Kenyan citizens can enjoy visa-free travel to 45 countries worldwide. On the other hand, for the remaining countries, Kenyan passport holders must go through the visa application process before their visit.