President Paul Kagame has declared that Rwanda will open its doors to visa-free travel for all Africans, a move aimed at fostering unity and expanding tourism across the continent.
The announcement was made during the 23rd Global Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council, where Kagame emphasized the potential of Africa as a unified and thriving tourism destination.
Currently, the continent heavily relies on external tourism, with statistics from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa indicating that 60% of tourists originate from outside Africa.
“Any African individual can board a plane to Rwanda at any time of their choosing and will be exempt from entry fees into our country,” Kagame said.
“We must not overlook our own continental market. As our middle class grows rapidly in the coming decades, Africans are the future of global tourism,” he added.
Upon implementation, Rwanda will stand as the fourth African nation to eliminate travel barriers for African visitors. Joining the ranks of Gambia, Benin, and Seychelles.
In a similar move towards enhancing regional accessibility, Kenya’s President William Ruto also unveiled plans to enable visa-free travel for all Africans to the East African nation by December 31.
“Visa restrictions within our continent serve as an impediment. When people encounter travel constraints, it hampers business opportunities, entrepreneurship, and we all experience collective setbacks,” expressed Ruto at an international summit held in Congo Brazzaville.