Kenyan President William Ruto says Africans travelling to the country will no longer need visas by the end of the year.
Ruto spoke on Saturday while making a keynote address at the “Three basins climate change” conference in Brazzaville, Congo.
The Kenyan leader said the move is aimed at boosting trade with African countries.
He highlighted that trade among East African countries had grown significantly due to the removal of visa requirements and tariffs.
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“By the end of this year, no African will need a visa to enter Kenya. The time has come to understand the importance of doing trade between us,” Ruto said.
“It is time we realize the importance of trading among ourselves and allowing goods, services, people and ideas to move freely across the continent.
“When people cannot travel, businesspeople cannot travel, entrepreneurs cannot travel, we all become net losers.”
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Ruto added that it was ironic that “our children from this continent should not be locked in borders in Europe and also be locked in borders in Africa”.
The African Union (AU) has been vocal with its aspirations of Africans “seeing themselves as one people united under the ideals of pan-Africanism” which requires visa-free travel within the continent.
In the past decade, the AU has repeatedly called for the removal of “the physical and invisible barriers” that have prevented the integration of Africans
Only Seychelles, The Gambia, and Benin offer entry to all African citizens without a visa, according to a 2022 AU report.
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