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IMPACT – MEDIUM
What is the change? Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who took the helm of the African Union this year, has announced his commitment to a visa-free Africa, stating that free movement within the continent is “achievable in 2018.”
What does the change mean? Though a visa-free continent is unlikely to be accomplished this year, the goal of visa-free travel for all African citizens is a stated objective of the African Union, and African travelers should expect more countries to remove visa requirements in the coming year.
Background: The African Union’s long-term agenda includes visa-free travel for all African citizens as a means of facilitating trade and regional cooperation. A common African passport, scheduled to roll out by 2020, is expected to boost trade and investment. According to a report on visa openness published in 2017 by the African Development Bank, African nationals currently require visas to travel to 55 percent of countries in Africa.
BAL Analysis: Kagame is well known as a strong proponent of visa liberalization. Rwanda is one of several countries to issue visas on arrival to all African nationals and, as of Jan. 1, all nationals may obtain a visa on arrival if visiting Rwanda for tourism. Benin, Ghana and Kenya are among the countries that have also waived visas for all Africans. The plan to complete free movement by the end of 2018 may be overly ambitious, but President Kagame’s announcement indicates that visa liberalization is among the priorities of the African Union in the coming year
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact africa@bal.com.
Copyright © 2018 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.
What is the change? A common passport for all African Union members would ease continental travel and boost spending by travelers by more than 20 percent, according to a new study.
What does the change mean? The African passport is scheduled to launch in the next two to four years and would greatly expand visa-free travel among African nationals. All African countries except Morocco are members of the African Union.
Background: The pan-African passport was first proposed in 2014 and a prototype for diplomats was unveiled earlier this year at the African Union summit in Kigali. The African passport for regular-passport holders is expected to be available in the coming years. A survey of Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa conducted by travel technology company Sabre found that a common passport would increase intracontinental annual air travel spending by 24 percent. In addition the report indicated that annual spending on ancillary air travel services (such as travel insurance, onboard wi-fi access and extra checked luggage) would increase from the current average of US$90 per traveler to an average of US$104 per traveler should the African passport be introduced.
BAL Analysis: A common passport would allow nationals of 54 African countries to travel without visas within Africa and is consistent with a trend toward visa liberalization. Earlier this year, Benin, Ghana and Namibia all announced they would remove visas for all African Union business travelers. Currently, 13 African countries have eased or removed visa requirements for African travelers.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.
Copyright © 2016 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.
What is the change? A pan-Africa passport was unveiled Sunday at the African Union summit in Kigali. The electronic passport will eventually allow African nationals to travel visa-free within the continent.
What does the change mean? The African Union passport will first be available to diplomats and is expected to be issued to regular travelers by 2020.
Background: The African Union passport, an idea first proposed in 2014, aims to foster intra-African trade, integration and social development by facilitating the free movement of people, goods and services.
In a symbolic act during an assembly of African Union heads of state on Sunday, the first passports were handed to the current chair of the African Union, President H.E. Idriss Déby Itno of Chad and to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, which is hosting the summit. It is expected to take two to four years for the 54 member countries to issue the passports to regular travelers with the aim of making visa-free African travel a reality by 2020.
BAL Analysis: The move toward a common passport is consistent with efforts to ease or eliminate visa requirements by individual African countries and regional blocs on the continent, including Ghana’s new policy of allowing all African Union nationals to obtain visas upon arrival. An African Union passport will significantly reduce bureaucratic hurdles for African citizens traveling and conducting business throughout Africa.