AfCFTA Implementation: An integrated air and visa free travel regime paramount – ASP panel advocates

A panel of travel experts has recommended that for Africa to be able to fully implement the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, there is an urgent need for an integrated air travel regime for the continent and the introduction of a visa fee travel policy for the entire region.

Deliberating on the topic “New Pathways: Travel, Tourism & Trade in Africa” on day two of the Africa Soft Power Summit ongoing at the Kigali Serena Hotel, in Kigali, Rwanda, a panel made up of Adefunke Adeyemi, Secretary General, The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Michaella Rugwizangoga, Chief Tourism Officer, Rwanda Development Board, Tariro Washe, Filmmaker; Managing Director, Meso Maviri and Wilmot Allen, Founder & Chairman, VentureLift Africa, collectively called on African leaders and policy makers to give consideration to their proposal.

Visa free policy in Rwanda

In her submission, Michaella Rugwizangoga, Chief Tourism Officer of the Rwanda Development Board, observed that Rwanda has painstakingly instituted a visa free regime for all citizens of African, from the Francophone and from the Commonwealth of nations, to visit their country in order to boost tourism

“That is how it is supposed to be, and that is how we see the world. I wish that other African countries can join that energy so that we can move Africa forward,” Michaella Rugwizangoga said.

Protectionism/distrust

Adefunke Adeyemi, Secretary General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), the institution charged with the responsibility of enabling a robust African aviation industry to support the economic and social transformation of the continent, on her part, noted that the main hindrance to her Commission’s task of fostering a safe, secure, efficient, cost effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly civil aviation industry in Africa is the lack of trust and the issue of protectionism among African countries.

“Africa’s problems and solutions lie with us. We don’t trust each other, we are protectionist, we don’t allow each other to get to each other, we don’t give access, that is the problem. Yet we give access to others coming from other parts of the world. We have got to build Africa to Africa first, madam Adefunke Adeyemi said.

Africa Soft Power Group

The Africa Soft Power Group (ASP) encompasses three organisations dedicated to leveraging Africa’s creative and innovative sectors to generate economic growth on the continent and around the world. These include; Africa Soft Power, African Women on Board (AWB), and ASP Global.

Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Kigali, Rwanda