No more visa required: Kenya cancels visa requirement for Nigerians, other Africans

In 2024, Africans planning a trip to Kenya won’t require a visa. President William Ruto announced this on Saturday, October 28, 2023, during his keynote speech at the Three Basins Climate Change Conference in Brazzaville, Congo.

He said: "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."

The Head of State stated that expanding trade with African countries is the aim of the initiative, according to a Star report.

President Ruto emphasized the low rate of intra-African business and urged the lowering of customs barriers within the continent to expedite the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

He explained:

"It is time we realize the importance of trading among ourselves and allowing goods, services, people, and ideas to move freely across the continent."

Ruto underlined that trade between the countries that comprise the East African Community has significantly increased as a result of the removal of tariffs and visa requirements.

He said rewarding countries in tropical forest basins for their efforts to protect their forests would be a prudent reaction to climate change.

Last Monday, Kenya abolished the requirement for Angolans to have visas. Ruto hinted that this might be the last time African delegates need to pay for visas to enter the country when attending the African Private Sector Dialogue Conference on Free Trade in May.

It became the third country to do so in August when the government said that travellers would not need a visa to enter the country.

Citizens of Senegal and Comoros were granted entry into the nation without a visa in July.

In February of this year, Eritrea and Kenya resolved to eliminate the requirement for visas for their citizens permanently.

In June, Kenya and Djibouti lobbied for a visa-free regime to boost trade between their nations.

Also, a new visa-free agreement between the two nations allowed Kenyans with regular passports admission to South Africa without needing a visa.

The President declared in November 2022 that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s help had enabled the agreement to be reached.