PRESIDENT MUSEVENI ENDORSES GHANA-LED DRIVE FOR AFRICA’S SEAMLESS VISA-FREE TRAVEL
- emorutb111
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
President Museveni pledged full support behind a Ghana-led campaign for a visa-free Africa, following a successful advocacy and fact-finding mission by a seven-member Ghanaian delegation in Kampala that secured firm presidential backing.
The endorsement injects fresh momentum into the continent-wide push for seamless intra-African travel, coming after the delegation received President Yoweri Museveni’s support during a meeting at the Mayuge Presidential State Lodge.
The team, which was on a five-day tour of Uganda as part of a three-month road expedition across 22 African countries, arrived on November 13th 2025, with a mission to persuade governments to embrace a borderless Africa where 1.5 billion citizens can move, trade, and explore freely without the constraints of restrictive visa regimes.
On Sunday, the group explored Uganda’s cultural richness at the Ndere Cultural Centre, where they experienced electrifying dance, music, and storytelling performances representing the country’s diverse ethnic communities, an exposure that underlined the country’s tourism potential.
Earlier in the day, Dr. Basil Ajer, Director of Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA), urged African countries to “take a common direction,” reiterating that intra-African travel remains costlier and more complicated than journeys to destinations outside the continent. He called for a unified, round-table approach to dismantle bureaucratic barriers to movement.
The campaign reached a climax moment on Monday evening when President Museveni met the delegation alongside officials from MTWA, the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), and the Ghana Consulate. Museveni welcomed the initiative, emphasizing that continental unity and economic interdependence are necessary for accelerating Africa’s development.
He noted that easing travel restrictions would stimulate tourism, expand job opportunities, and strengthen intra-African trade, areas in which Uganda continues to lead within the East African Community (EAC).
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism, Doreen Katusiime highlighted the urgency of Africa crafting its own mobility solutions, referencing global migration debates in Riyadh. She praised the youth-led movement and pointed to examples like Rwanda and Kenya, which have already opened their borders. She reaffirmed that the East African Tourism Protocol has long enabled smoother movement within the region.
Tourism Minister Tom Butime pledged to push discussions further within Cabinet, revealing that MTWA, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Trade will jointly prepare a cabinet paper on easing African mobility. Although acknowledging existing constraints, Butime said Uganda remains committed to Pan-Africanism and nurturing stronger ties with Ghana.
Campaign leader Hon. Ras Mubarak stressed that the economic and security advantages of integration are supported by robust data, arguing that Africa’s insistence on rigid borders continues to undermine its potential. He urged greater intelligence-sharing across states, pointing to the EU’s Schengen Area and the UAE as models for how open borders can enhance stability and boost trade volumes.
Uganda Tourism Association President Yogi Birigwa echoed calls for reciprocity in visa policies, questioning why South Africans receive visas on arrival in Uganda while Ugandans face higher barriers when visiting South Africa.
As part of their tour, the team visited the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC), where they witnessed the biodiversity that anchors Uganda’s national parks and tourism industry.
With 22 countries already covered and 17 more ahead, the Ghanaian delegation will compile and present comprehensive reports to each government visited, regional blocs, and the African Union. Uganda’s endorsement marks one of the campaign’s strongest political boosts yet, strengthening Africa’s long-running quest for a fully open, visa-free continent.
