Rwanda and Kenya are dropping visa requirements in a push for ‘borderless’ travel

It’s about to get much easier to visit Kenya and Rwanda—for both Africans and travelers from all corners of the world. As part of a bigger push to unify the continent and strengthen its tourism economy from within, the two countries have each announced that visas will soon be a thing of the past for African nationals in Rwanda, and for all travelers arriving in Kenya. 

At a conference in December in Nairobi, Kenyan President William Ruto declared that borderless travel would extend to all those visiting Kenya. “It shall no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya,” Ruto said, adding, “Kenya has a simple message to humanity: Welcome Home!” 

The announcements come as part of a bigger push from the African Union to make travel around the continent “borderless” for its citizens and, in some cases, for everyone. Currently, more than 60 percent of tourists come from other continents. The lack of intracontinental travel is a huge missed opportunity, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said recently when he made the announcement, according to the Independent.

“We should not lose sight of our own continental market,” he said. “Africans are the future of global tourism as our middle class continues to grow at a fast pace in the decades to come.”

Currently, the only other nations without visa requirements for Africans are Gambia, Benin, and the Seychelles. Kenya will drop its requirements for all visitors regardless of citizenship by December 31. According to Statista, six out of 10 of Kenya’s main countries of origin for international visitors are African: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. The United States, the UK, India, and Germany round out the top 10.

The African continent has the fastest-growing population, with the number of residents expected to double between 2016 and 2050, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Many experts believe that opening up borders and allowing more freedom of movement for travelers will be a boon for many countries across the continent. It’s just a matter of implementing individual policies by country to create a unified system. There is already an African Union passport that grants holders hassle-free travel throughout the continent was established in 2016, but is not yet widely available to the average person, according to the BBC. The visa changes we are seeing now have the potential to unlock greater shared economic potential through the African Continental Free Trade Area, or AfCFTA. When fully implemented, the World Bank estimates that regional income could increase by nine percent, and 50 million people could be lifted out of poverty.

It’s also a crucial part of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which is the continent’s “blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.” Part of the vision is for the African continent to operate a bit more like the European Union, with passport-free travel across borders and free trade throughout the area. By 2030, AfCFTA is expected to encompass USD $6.7 trillion in consumer and business spending.

“It is time we… realize that having visa restrictions amongst ourselves is working against us,” Ruto said at a conference in the Republic of the Congo, the BBC reported last month. Visa restrictions make it harder for businesspeople and entrepreneurs to travel, and then “we all become net losers.”

“Our children from this continent should not be locked in borders in Europe and also be locked in borders in Africa,” he said.