Travel across Africa must be made easier for Africans

There comes a time when many of us decide that all work with no play isn’t good for the soul. With this in mind, you and a few friends arrange to take a week off work to simply sit back and enjoy life – after all, we should work to live and not live to work. As you begin travel arrangements, you and your friends realise that since you have more or less taken a selfie at every ‘must see’ spot in your undoubtedly beautifully arranged African country, the next voyage should involve all five of you fetching your passports from whatever secluded part of your home you last placed it. Live a little, your adventurous spirits whisper to you. Up next is deciding which country to visit. All five of you have various preferences; two of your friends are leaning towards the buzz of a city where they can get to see how other people party at night – they’ve heard that in some places far away, the rest of society doesn’t necessarily judge you by how freely you move on the dance floor, or by what type of drink you order for. Your two friends are constantly complaining about the dull local nightlife. The other two are somewhat undecided – they wouldn’t mind going anywhere as long as the budget is reasonable and the trip involves more than just partying. All they want is a holiday that involves kicking back and discovering new and exciting things along the way. And for you, well, the pan- African that you are, you immediately think to yourself; this should be easy. And although you have immersed yourself in African literature, and re-read Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom, and still curse to this day the two separate days that robbed us of two of Africa’s greatest sons, Patrice Lumumba and Thomas Sankara, so far, you have only been so lucky to set foot in only nine African countries, yours included. 45 others remain a distant dream. That said, the anticipated holiday presents a unique opportunity to tick another African country off your long list, but first, you have to convince your friends that your pick is the best one. As you canvass a map of the African continent, one country stands out immediately. You Google it and discover that one of the cities in that country will not only satisfy two party-animal friends within your entourage, your other two friends will bask in the magnificent white-sand beaches that are located only two miles away from the city centre. For you this particular African nation was once home to some of Africa’s greatest sons and daughters who fought colonialism tooth and nail. You have read so much about their resilience, and now is the time to indulge in that history a little closer. Your friends are convinced, and you are about to set off on an amazing trip. Hotel rooms are booked, airline tickets check, bags are made ready – everything seems to be in place. Now, one last check for any relevant travel requirements… To your surprise, authorities in the country of your choice require all African travellers to obtain a visa before entering the country. This does not please you, but it doesn’t completely discourage you either. However, at close inspection, you soon realise that you cannot obtain a visa upon arrival; instead, you will all need to send your passports and non-refundable visa fees to a third country for processing. That particular country does not have visa processing services in your home country. You also note that it can take anywhere up to 21 working days for your visa to be processed. This quickly becomes frustrating, and one of your friends points out that time isn’t on your side, you need to set plan B in motion. Boom, Dubai – it is all agreed, and you have all been there before anyway! The story above is a familiar tale among many African travellers whether on business or pleasure. You see, it is so difficult for Africans to move within Africa that even North Americans and Europeans travel within Africa a lot easier. For instance, Brits, Finns, and Swedes receive visa-free access or a visa upon arrival to at least 173 countries worldwide. By comparison, a Rwandan or Cameroonian passport will grant you access to a mere 43 countries worldwide on similar conditions. Astonishingly, that is fewer than the 54 countries that make up Africa alone. Of course, some countries like Seychelles have broken all the invisible chains that hold many African travellers back, while Rwanda and now Ghana are closely following in the footsteps of liberalising travel for all Africans. But generally speaking, the outlook is still one of where many of us prefer to stick to borders the same way they were drawn up at the 1884 Berlin Conference when Africa was partitioned. For instance, the 2016 Africa Visa Openness Report released by the African Development Bank indicates that, on average, if you hold one of Africa’s passports and wish to travel within Africa, you should know the following: first, you will need visas to travel to 55 per cent of other African countries, second, only 25 per cent of African countries will offer you a visa on arrival, and third, only 20 per cent of African countries will not subject you to any sort of visa requirements. Let that sink in for a minute. By and large, we need to open up our borders as well as our minds to allow Africans to move easily within Africa. People movement is good for boosting intra-Africa trade, placing skills in the right places and, more importantly, boosting tourism revenue. Granted, some life-changing projects require substantial funds to implement, but, truly, how much does it cost to grant a visa to an African upon arrival? And what good is the beauty of Africa if borders are continuously closed? junior.mutabazi@yahoo.co.uk

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Travel across Africa must be made easier for Africans