Rwandan President Paul Kagame, has declared that his country will grant visa-free entry to Africans in order to boost free movement of people and trade.
Local media reports that Kagame revealed his plans on Thursday during a speech in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
Kagame emphasized the immense 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,” he said.
With this decision, Rwanda has become the latest, and forth African nation, after Gambia, Benin, and Seychelles,to eliminate travel restrictions for fellow Africans.
These nations are pursuing 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.
At the moment, 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.
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.
