May 31, 2017

Border free Africa: Actualizing the dream, awakening the giant

located:	Rwanda
editor:	Bob Koigi

The dream of a border free Africa is nearing fruition following a recently concluded gathering in Kigali Rwanda that has hammered a treaty which among others focuses on removal of visa requirements for all Africans while advocating for one powerful African passport by the year 2018.

This development coincides with the launch of the second edition of the Africa Visa Openness Index that shows the growing openness among African countries which is making travel easier and trade more intra African.

Although the report indicates that it is still a long road, considering majority of countries in the continent are still apprehensive about opening their borders to nonresidents for fear of loss of jobs and what this will mean to their economies, there has been tangible benefits to the countries that have traditionally opened their arms to other Africans.

Seychelles the, only African country on the continent to offer visa-free access for all Africans, has over the years earned top dollar for drawing majority of tourists from across Africa, while its trade figures have been on an upward trajectory as more businesses open up shop on the premise of relaxed business rules. It is a scenario easily replicable to the rest of the countries in the continent should they follow suit.

Tighter control of borders has indeed been counterproductive to African countries and has only worked at hampering the great potential Africa has. Picture this for example, An African needs visas to travel to at least 55 per cent countries in the continent while a resident of North America only need visas to travel to 45 per cent of African countries. Really?

While the fear of what the integration would do to individual countries is justified, a look at the bigger picture for countries reveals that having seamless borders only serve to catapult these economies to even more growth, by creating a larger market for African goods, students access to better education and even people to people exchange of cultures and way of life that is a source of admiration by the rest of the world. Africa is better off together.