#AfriTravel: How Africa’s visa-free passport aims to boost tourism and trade

Source: News 24, 13/04/2018

Town â€` South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
have recently signed a visa waiver agreement for official and
diplomatic passport holders.
Not only is this a step towards enhancing relations between South
Africa and the DRC, but it also facilitates easy movement of
officials between the two countries.
Although this only applies to the countries’ officials for now, it
certainly is one step closer to achieving the much-anticipated “visa-
free” Africa passport that the continent hopes will foster better
relations and boost trade and economies
Striving towards attaining the visa-free Africa passport is one of
the African Union’s Agenda 2063 main aims. According to Agenda 2063,
one of its aspirations is to achieve “An integrated continent,
politically united, based on the ideals of Pan Africanism and the
vision of Africa’s Renaissance.”
However, in its International Migration White Paper, the South
African Department of Home Affairs states, “Our obligations are to
serve our people first; the people of the region and the member
states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) second;
the people of Africa third; and the rest of the world last.”
Department of Home Affairs media spokesperson, David Hlabane, told
Traveller24 that while the “Passport for Africa” is not yet in
effect “all regions will start working towards that process” to reach
the goal of a visa-free Africa passport.
He adds that while this process has begun, working “towards the
integration from regional level” the process “needs to happen
progressively, one step at a time.”
`Each African region is working on breaking travel barriers`
So far, each African region is working on breaking travel barriers
between countries within the region, in an attempt to slowly make
travelling smoother across borders. Thereafter, Hlabane explains, the
regions will work together to implement visa-free travel across the
continent.
Hlabane told Traveller24 that in the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) region, countries “have to work together as members
towards reaching that goal” explaining that “each member state needs
to be ready for that movement”.
“With regards to diplomatic passports, all members [in the SADC
region] have a waiver â€` except Angola and Madagascar â€` with South
Africa,” he says.
“All countries need to be ready before we take his great leap,” he
says, adding that South Africa, the region and the continent will
benefit from the passport.
How will this affect South Africa?
Hlabane told Traveller24 that “in the interest of trade and
development” the passport will facilitate free movement within the
continent.
Facilitating trade - thereby encouraging and growing business
opportunities - as well as boosting tourism within the continent are
some of the ways the passport will benefit South Africa and other
African countries, according to Hlabane.
“By attracting tourists we will address economic challenges, with
more people flowing [into the country], offering better chances for
growth,” he adds.
He says that members of SADC are also working together to “address
issues of security` for those outside the region.
Here is the full list of African countries we can enter without visas:
Most SADC countries are accessible to us without a visa, as long as
we`re going there for vacation. Any form of work - even volunteering -
requires some form of a visa, so make 100% sure what the rules are
beforehand.
Benin, Botswana, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Senegal, Seychelles,
Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
And then a few where we get a visa on arrival:
Cape Verde, Comores, Egypt, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Tongo,
Tunisia and Uganda.