Africans can now travel to the world’s most populous country Nigeria. This follows a major change in Nigeria’s current visa policy, as President Muhammadu Buhari announced the country will begin issuing visas on arrival for all African nationals starting January 2020.
This directive is in line with Nigeria’s commitment to the free movement of Africans within Africa an announcement that comes five months after Nigeria signed a deal aimed at promoting free trade on the continent.
“We in Nigeria have already taken the strategic decision to bring down barriers that have hindered the free movement of our people within the continent by introducing the issuance of visa at the point of entry into Nigeria to all persons holding passports of African countries with effect from January, 2020,” said Buhari while in Egypt during the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa.
Currently, applicants for a visa to Nigeria often need to make a request in their country of origin, and it will be issued when they arrive in the West African state. Come 2020, citizens of all African states would be able to board a plane to Nigeria and get a visa on arrival. Last year, Nigerian government announced the visa on arrival policy last year but it was for selected categories of people.
According to Buhari, massive investment in transportation infrastructure is necessary for African economic resurgence, which will facilitate the African Free Trade Area Agreement recently signed by the continent’s leaders. He assured of Nigeria’s commitment aggressive drive to upgrade our rail transport system and road networks across the country emphasizing that Africa should embark on the provision of transport connectivity by enhancing the development of roads, rail, and air links which will ease the free movement of persons, goods and services within the continent.
