There is a need to make intra-Africa tourism travel and trade between African countries easy and accessible for travellers and investors on the continent.
These were the sentiments shared by Ghanaian tourists who arrived in Namibia for a week under the Tourism and Business pilot initiative, “November in Namibia”.
In an interview with nbc News, Ghanaian tourists Caleb Kudah and Emmanuel Owusu explained that travelling and trading among African countries is challenging due to travel regulations.
They are optimistic that the relaxation of intra-African tourism travel and trade will allow the free flow of tourists, which will, in the end, boost the continent’s tourism industry and economy.
“If you are moving from Nigeria to SA, you need a visa, and I see a number of countries are working hard to make their countries visa-free. We need to be able to trust each other to open the borders for trade and tourism because that’s the only way Africa will be economically free. We need to make Africa’s borderless.”
Emmanuel Owuso agrees, saying that “it’s easier for us to get to the UK, and I am so sure that going back will be more stressful because we have to transit like 16 hours from SA before we go to Ghana. As my colleagues said, intra-African travel and trade should be made easier. We came on an invitation, but the process is a little too strict, so if those laws can be eased a bit, that could really help, and it will help us in marketing ourselves to each other.”
The group of 21 Ghanaian tourists visited Namibia as a way to establish a network of Africans who share a passion for intra-Africa tourism, travel, and trade.
The initiative aims to build Namibia’s tourism industry in the spirit of the African Continental Free Trade Area and “Africa We Want” and is part of the implementation process of the MoU on Tourism between Namibia and Ghana.
During the visit, they engaged in networking sessions, sampled trade opportunities, and went on safaris and desert tours.
They also had a taste of traditional cuisine.
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