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After over a month of closing its borders to its neighbours, Nigeria has announced that all persons with African passports will be issued with visa on arrival, effective January 2020.
President Muhammadu Buhari made the announcement at the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa in Egypt.
As it stands only holders of the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) passport could come into Nigeria without the need for visas. Citizens of few other countries with which Nigeria had agreements with could come into the country and obtain a visa on arrival.
He also took to Twitter to affirm the announcement:
Nigeria is committed to supporting the free movement of Africans within Africa. Yesterday at the Aswan Forum in Egypt I announced that, in January 2020, we will commence issuance of visas at the point of entry into Nigeria, to all persons holding passports of African countries.
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) December 12, 2019
Nigeria has not been in the good books of its neighbours recently after closing its borders to them. The closure has also been criticised as a threat to the signed economic pact African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).
President Buhari’s order to close the Nigerian border in order to prevent smuggling of goods, and his announcement of visa arrival for all Africans on another hand is a contradiction that shows Nigeria’s policy inconsistencies.
The decision by Nigeria to offer visas on arrival for all Africans has been hailed across the continent considering it is often cumbersome for African nationals to obtain visas to visit other countries across the continent. Countries such as Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda are among the few which grant visa on arrival to all Africans.
Source: Daily Mail GH
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