Nigerians to benefit as Kenya mulls visa-free travel for Africans

Nigerians connecting flights to various countries and flying to Kenya would be benefiting from Kenya’s proposed policy on granting all African visitors access without visas.

This development is coming at a time when some countries have suspended visa on arrival for Nigerians, making them face difficulties travelling from Nigeria.

William Ruto, Kenya’s president announced that the country will be ending visa requirements to all African visitors by the end of the year, reports said.

“It is time we realise that having visa restrictions amongst ourselves is working against us,” he told an international conference.

Visa-free travel within the continent has been a goal of the African Union (AU) for the past decade.

While there are regional deals and bilateral arrangements, progress towards no restrictions has been slow, BBC reports stated.

Only Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin offer entry to all African citizens without a visa, according to a 2022 AU-backed report.

BBC explains that according to Africa’s Visa Openness Index – which measures the extent to which each country in Africa is open to visitors from other African countries – most countries are making progress towards simplifying entry processes and dropping restrictions to some other nations.

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In 2022, Kenya was ranked 31st on the index out of 54 states.

President Ruto told an audience in Congo-Brazzaville that it was bad for business.

“When people cannot travel, businesspeople cannot travel, entrepreneurs cannot travel, we all become net losers.

“Let me say this: As Kenya, by the end of this year, no African will be required to have a visa to come to Kenya,” he said to loud cheers from the conference delegates.

“Our children form this continent should not be locked in borders in Europe and also be locked in borders in Africa.”

He was speaking at a summit aimed at protecting some of the world’s largest rainforests.

The AU launched its African passport in 2016. The idea behind the passport is for all African citizens to be able to travel throughout the continent without visas – but it is still not widely available.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.