Picture this. You are on the edge of the great Tanzanian plains, gazing up at the towering figure of Mount Kilimanjaro with its inviting snow-covered slopes.
If food is your adventure, imagine a mouthful of jollof rice bursting with the flavours of Nigeria.
Maybe the rush of skydiving over Egypt's legendary Giza pyramids is your thing as a panorama of ancient wonders unravels below you.
For many Africans struck by wanderlust, a bucket list like this would likely remain an unachievable dream, thanks to the cumbersome process of acquiring a visa to explore their own continent.
The irony is stark. While Africans face a labyrinth of paperwork, fees, and interminable waits for a visa, many travellers from outside the continent glide through immigration, their powerful passports granting them visa-free access.
This disparity underscores a larger issue about freedom of movement within Africa, a continent bound by invisible colonial-era borders.
Diplomatic red tape
In 2013, the African Union laid out a vision in its 50-year plan: a visa-free continent allowing unfettered movement for its 1.3 billion population by 2018.
If the deadline was ambitious, the effort to make it happen was probably underwhelming. Only a handful of countries — Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin — have to date opened their doors to fellow Africans without visa restrictions.
"It shall no longer be necessary for anyone from any corner of the globe to carry the burden of applying for a visa to come to Kenya. Welcome home," President William Ruto of Kenya declared during the Jamhuri Day celebrations in December 2023.
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda echoed his Kenyan counterpart during the Biashara Afrika summit in Kigali last October, calling for open borders as a path towards integration and cooperation.
"Why shouldn't people of one country freely move across the border to another country across the whole continent? What is the issue? In the end, we agree we are brothers and sisters and the same people with the same needs," he said.
Kenya and Rwanda join Seychelles, Benin and The Gambia in removing visa restrictions for fellow Africans, but challenges remain in reaping the benefits of a borderless continent without compromising jobs and security.
Genesis of barriers
The clamour for a visa-free Africa for people of the continent goes back to the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, when colonial powers carved up Africa, drawing arbitrary borders that often split communities and families.
Nearly a century and a half later, these borders are guarded more zealously by African governments than ever before.
Analysts believe that until African countries must dismantle the colonial borders o ensure free movement of people.
Gateway to benefits
Experts say dismantling these colonial boundaries isn't just beneficial — it's essential for a thriving, borderless economy where money, talent and ideas can flow freely.
"Visa restrictions amongst ourselves are working against us," Ruto said while announcing Kenya's decision to become visa-free for Africans.
"When people cannot travel, business people cannot travel, entrepreneurs cannot travel, we all become net losers."
Kenya's 2024 move sparked a surge in tourism, with visitor numbers and revenues soaring.
The Kenya Tourism Research Institute reports that tourism revenue jumped by 80 billion Ksh (US $620 million) to hit 450 billion Ksh ($3.4 billion).
The East African country aims to draw five million tourists by 2027, up from 2.4 million in 2024, a target that necessitates improved infrastructure and streamlined entry processes.
While a visa-free Africa promises unity and economic prosperity, challenges remain.
Some economies may struggle with uneven migration as workers gravitate towards more robust markets.
However, experts say that the vision of a visa-free Africa is a goal worth pursuing through sustained negotiation and strategic planning.
