Kenya has continued its push for the removal of visa barriers in Africa in efforts to boost intra-continental trade.
President William Ruto reiterated the need for the barrier-free movement of people and goods during a meeting with the President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso on Friday.
“Africa must invest in infrastructure, remove barriers to trade and visa restrictions to unlock the free trade potential,” Ruto said.
The Kenyan leader, who is on a state visit to the Central African nation, also addressed Congo’s parliament in Brazzaville on Friday.
“Owing to the emerging interaction of critical factors at various levels, it is inevitable to develop and articulate a new vision of African power and prospects in terms of opportunities, resources and potential,” Ruto said, adding that the two nations have agreed to lift visa requirements for their travellers.
‘Huge’ trade potential
On Saturday, Kenya and the Republic of Congo signed several agreements, including cooperation in oil and gas; agriculture and livestock; micro and small enterprises; mining industries and geology; diplomatic training and promotion of cooperatives.
“The various agreements and MoUs signed today will unlock the huge trade potential between our two countries,” Ruto said, reiterating the need to fully operationalise the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
On his part, President Nguesso said his meeting with Ruto presented the two countries with an opportunity to “strengthen cooperation and consolidate the ties of friendship.”
President Ruto has been keen on abolishing visa requirements for Africans with business interests in Kenya.
Visa-free entry
“We must remove any impediments to the movement of people around our continent,” Ruto said in June during an AfCFTA summit in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
Djibouti, Comoros and the Republic of Congo are the latest countries to be allowed visa-free entry into Kenya by Ruto’s administration.
During a COMESA summit in Lusaka, Zambia, on June 8, Ruto said intra-African trade volume stood at 17%, compared to the European Union and intra-Asian trade.
Official figures, however, show that the intra-African trade volume stands at 14.4%.
“Our intra-Africa trade is only at 17%, while others such as Europe, their intra-continental trade is at 70%; in Asia, it is at 60%, in other parts of the world, it is at 40%,” he said.
