EAST AFRICA TOURISM PLATFORM A BORDERLESS AFRICA
A BORDERLESS AFRICA; A BOLD MOVE Over the years, intra-Africa travel has been hampered by restrictions. One of the unpleasant aspects of travelling within the African continent is obtaining a visa. Depending on the country one is visiting, the process can take a day, a week or even months. Additionally, the bureaucracy around visa acquisition is quite complicated with prohibitive requirements and costs. In response, the African Union has been pursuing a path of closer integration. In 2013, it adopted Agenda 2063, a collective vision and roadmap for the next 50 years that committed nations to speed up plans to introduce a single African passport, capitalising on the global migration towards e-passports, with the ultimate goal of abolishing visa requirements for Africans in African countries by 2018. Modelled on the EU Schengen free movement deal that has not only abolished internal borders but also enabled passport-free movement across the European bloc, the e-passport promises to turn the African continent into one of the “seamless borders” allowing free movement between countries and intra-regional trade. Even though, open borders risk strengthening terror groups and organized crime and spread of diseases as advanced by its critics; the passport will have centralized records that will help track travellers. This passport will grant visa-free access to all 54 member states superseding existing national documents symbolizing greater continental integration, which is the vision of Pan-African unity. Freedom of movement, of course, has been a longstanding priority among member states, as enshrined in previous agreements such as the 1991 Abuja Treaty. Common passports have already been adopted by regions, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). STRENGTHS »» It will facilitate free movement of persons, goods and services around the continent – in order to foster intraAfrica trade, integration and socio-economic development. This will ultimately boost inter and intra African tourism; thus reducing overreliance on tourists from the developed world. »» The passport will allow a holder to stay 30 days in any AU member nation without a visa. »» It symbolizes solidarity among Africans. »» It is a bold step towards creating a strong, prosperous and integrated Africa. »» It will support trade within the continent, reducing the widespread dependence on Western goods, and offer new opportunities to many citizens. »» It will allow businesses to flow, students to travel and people to move from one corner of the continent to the other seamlessly. EAST AFRICAN TOURISM PLATFORM | www. ea-tourism-platform.org
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EAST AFRICAN TOURISM PLATFORM | www. ea-tourism-platform.org
CRITICISM »» The target of providing all citizens with the passports by 2018 is overambitious and full coverage may not be achieved until several years later. The timeframe is too short, given that, not all countries have the same level of technology needed for the biometric system to register their citizens. »» The passport will first be issued to senior government officials (such as heads of state and senior officials). Thus it will take long for its fruits to be felt by ordinary Africans. »» This being a bold move; it will require political goodwill for its success. »» The idea of an e-passport may be taken to mean loss of visa revenue. Visa revenue is an important source of income for some countries and removing it may affect the local economy unless there is compensation. »» A borderless Africa may be challenged by external forces, such as Ebola, organized crime and terror groups such as Al Shabaab and Boko Haram, which would be advanced as arguments to fight the whole idea. OUR STANDPOINT »» EATP strongly supports the e-passport. It is a noble and timely development. »» Though, we are cognizant of the fact that it is a long-term strategy whose success depends on political goodwill from member countries; that will have to adopt and ratify necessary protocols and laws to prepare the way for its use. »» EATP urges EAC member states to fast-track e-visa and reduce its fees. »» EAC is the leading regional bloc in Africa to adopt the e-visa. Visitors can apply for the e-visa for travel within Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. Besides, Rwanda has made great strides in simplifying visa acquisition by requiring visa application upon arrival for all African nationals. »» Seamless travel through the joint e-visa will make EAC more competitive than other regions struggling with various visa regimes in different countries. »» The cost of obtaining multiple visas - to Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda- in terms of cost and paperwork is an impediment to travel. »» A joint e-visa will increase the region’s appeal due to the uniqueness offered by each member country. »» EATP calls upon Burundi and Tanzania to join other East African countries in implementing the e-visa as part of efforts to boost tourism in the region.
EAST AFRICAN TOURISM PLATFORM | www. ea-tourism-platform.org
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Destination East Africa
EAST AFRICA TOURISM PLATFORM Kenya Tourism Federation – Secretariat| KWS Headquarters – Langata Road, P.O. Box 15013-00509, Nairobi| Tel: +254208001000/3/1| Mobile: +254724624538 Facebook: East Africa Tourism Platform| Twitter: @TourismEA| Skype: tourismea