By Chinelo Obogo
For many years, Africans have faced tortuous encumbrances while trying to travel within the continent due to the complex bureaucratic visa policies of African countries. From South Africa to Botswana and even Nigeria, the tales of frustration from tourists and visitors have been the same. Even prominent figures like Aliko Dangote, the continent’s richest man, face these hurdles.
Dangote recently revealed that he requires visas to enter 35 different African countries.
At the moment, only five African countries (Seychelles, Mozambique, Rwanda, Comoros and Madagascar) offer visa-free access or visas-on-arrival privileges to citizens of all African countries. For most others, there are very restrictive visa policies which reflect a deeper issue of regional disconnect in Africa.
In a recent article published in VoyagesAfriq, former Chief Operating Officer for Africa World Airline, Sean Mendis, recounted a frustrating day of visa rejections due to minor technicalities like an improperly addressed letter and an outdated conference date. Botswana even rejected a visa application from him because the photo lacked a smile. Mendis said this shows the absurdity of African visa policies hindering tourism and business.
“I set a new world record recently, an unwanted one though as I got refused visas for three different African countries in a single day. The morning started with a refusal from Namibia. I was supposed to attend a conference there, but the covering letter in my visa application was not properly addressed to the recently renamed “Ministry of Home Affairs. Immigration, Safety and Security”. Of course, that offended someone sufficiently enough to reject the entire application.
“Later in the day, I got an email from South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs. My eVisa application, submitted seven weeks earlier for a conference that had long since ended without my participation, had finally been processed and it had been rejected because the dates of that conference had now passed.
“Finally, the afternoon brought me my third rejection of the day. This one from Botswana and the reason was a real doozy: “You must not be smiling in the photograph submitted. You can resubmit when you are not smiling.” Well, no risk of smiles after the day I’ve just had. Now, of course, this is not a typical day. Less tenacious people would have given up long before this. However, seemingly ridiculous and onerous visa policies remain a daily nuisance for those of us who live, work and travel in Africa. If Africa is to truly benefit from increased tourism and business travel, there needs to be a paradigm shift from a default “no” to a default “yes” when it comes to welcoming genuine visitors.
“It’s not just regular guys like me who have this issue, though. Aliko Dangote, the continent’s richest man, claims to require visas to enter 35 different African countries. This scenario is particularly striking when compared to his European counterparts, who can enter most of these countries visa free. This discrepancy underscores the barriers that African businesspeople and tourists face within their own continent which is in stark contrast to the seamless travel Europeans enjoy both at home. This situation not only impedes business and tourism but also reflects a deeper issue of regional disintegration.
“Even when African countries make the news with high-profile changes to ostensibly simplify visa policy, there is often a range of loopholes hidden in the fine print. Malawi recently announced a visa waiver for 79 countries amid much acclaim from tourism stakeholders. Yet, when you look at the list of countries that benefit from this waiver, you see that citizens of over half of its fellow African Union member states still need to apply for a visa in advance. This selective approach to visa waivers underscores the ongoing reluctance to fully embrace regional integration.
“President Ruto of Kenya made headlines in December for ‘abolishing all visas’. In his own words, it (will) no longer be necessary for any person from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya. Wow, inspiring words. Except that instead of applying for a visa, you now had to fill out basically the same form you did before to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This included people like South Africans and Ghanaians who could previously just hop on a plane and fly to Kenya. No visa needed though, just this new ‘not a visa No transformative policy after all, just a marketing and rebranding exercise.
“Lesotho is another fascinating country. You might think that a tiny landlocked paradise would try to make it easier for visitors to come spend their money but you would be wrong. After experimenting with eVisas immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic, they have scrapped that system and now have a charmingly retro “email us and ask for a visa system.” I’ve visited over 😯 countries all over the world, but this is the first one where I have to submit a doctor’s note certifying that I am healthy enough to visit Lesotho as a tourist! One really has to question who came up with that requirement, what prompted it, arid if it really helps encourage tourists to visit,” Mendis said.
He concluded by saying that if Africa is to truly benefit from increased tourism and business travel, there needs to be a paradigm shift from a default “no” to a default “yes” when it comes to welcoming genuine visitors. He says no country can invest money to attract a conference, then block people from attending that same conference because ‘some low-level bureaucrat got their knickers in a twist over a perceived protocol snub.’