by SAVIOUS KWINIKA
Ethiopia Bureau
ADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc believes it is leading the charge towards a visa-free continent.
This vision has taken centre stage at the 38th African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia, where African leaders have gathered, with numerous issues on the agenda.
The African Union Commission and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have jointly urged governments to accelerate the removal of visa restrictions that continue to hinder regional integration, trade and economic development.
They have convened a high-level strategic dialogue on “Accelerating Visa-Free Movement for Africa’s Transformation” on the margins of the AU Summit in the capital, Addis Ababa.
Elias Magosi, the SADC Executive Secretary, highlighted how this is being done in the region.
“SADC member states have already developed and implemented policies for the progressive elimination of obstacles to the movement of persons in alignment with the African Union Protocol,” he said.
The policies are around Right of Entry, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment.
Member states continue to implement bilateral visa exemptions.
To date, three states – Mauritius, Seychelles, and Zimbabwe- have exempted all SADC member nations.
Some 11 states – Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia- have exempted more than ten fellow states.
One member, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has exempted five fellow member states.
Efforts include one-stop border posts and streamlined visa regimes.
Botswana and Namibia have negotiated a bilateral agreement for their citizens to use their national identity documents to enter the territory of the other to facilitate ease of movement.
– CAJ News