BY D KASULE: Uganda has endorsed the Trans-Africa Tourism & Unity Campaign, an initiative pushing for a visa-free continent, after President Yoweri Museveni met a Ghanaian delegation led by former MP Ras Mubarak at Mayuge State Lodge. The group is travelling through 39 African countries to document how visa barriers limit movement, tourism, and trade.
For Uganda, which is rebuilding tourism and seeking new regional markets, the campaign raises a practical question: what would a visa-free Africa actually change for ordinary Ugandans, students, small traders, guides, or job-seeking youth?
Mubarak said the overland journey from Accra across West, Central, Southern, and Eastern Africa exposes the real obstacles Africans face. Some borders reject e-visas; others have long queues or unclear procedures. Yet there are signs of progress. Benin allows Africans to stay for 90 days visa-free, while Rwanda and Kenya have fully opened their borders.
He argues that Africa cannot grow if its people cannot move: “Africa does not need to wait 40 years for what can be achieved in five.”
The urgency is clear. In 2024, the world recorded 1.4 billion travelers, yet Africa attracted only 73 million, and Sub-Saharan Africa received barely 25 million visitors. Tourism officials say Uganda’s attractions, mountain gorillas, adventure tourism, and diverse cultures, would attract more Africans if visa restrictions were removed. MTWA’s Basil Ajar said, “We cannot grow tourism if travelers struggle to enter African countries.”
A visa-free Africa, they argue, would boost regional airlines, fill hotels, strengthen rural tourism, and create more youth employment. What a Visa-Free Africa Would Mean for Ugandans, Cheaper, Easier Travel Within Africa
Ugandans often face higher visa hurdles within Africa than outside it. Kenya’s recent removal of visa requirements for Africans, replacing it with a simple digital travel authorization, shows what change looks like. If such reforms spread, Ugandans could travel from Accra to Cape Town with minimal paperwork.
The other is more Opportunities for Small Traders Women and youth traders lose money at slow, complicated borders. The Kenya–Uganda–Rwanda Single Tourist Visa showed that easier movement boosts trade and bus travel. A Kampala trader could attend expos in Nairobi or Kigali without visa delays, while transport companies could expand routes.
A Visa-free travel works both ways. More Africans visiting Uganda would directly benefit hotels, craft markets, tour operators, and community tourism sites. Access to Jobs and Education, is the other advantage of a visa-free regime making it easier for Ugandan professionals, teachers, nurses, ICT specialists to seek work across the continent without costly bureaucratic processes.
Also Stronger African Identity is fostered. ECOWAS demonstrates how free movement enhances unity and cultural exchange. A similar system across Africa would deepen Ugandans’ connections with the rest of the continent. Challenges Remain High airfares, weak border systems, and security concerns still limit movement. Rural areas may also benefit more slowly.
With Museveni’s endorsement and a continental report due in 2026, momentum is growing. For Uganda, a visa-free Africa could mean cheaper travel, more tourists, stronger business links, and new jobs, bringing Africans closer to freely exploring their own continent.