Kenya and Benin seal landmark visa-free deal

Kenya and Benin have signed a landmark visa-free agreement that will allow citizens of both countries to travel visa free for up to 180 days.

The deal signed by Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, and his counterpart from Benin, Oleshegun Adjadi Bakar, is expected to ease travel for businesspeople, students, tourists, cultural delegations, and promote stronger people-to-people ties.

Mudavadi described the agreement as "a new chapter in Africa's story of unity", noting that it was the culmination of two years of negotiations aimed at boosting tourism, trade and cultural exchange.

"What started two years ago as an ambition to boost tourism and trade across African nations has now become a reality," Mudavadi said in a statement after inking the deal signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

"This agreement is more than a policy; it is a powerful step towards deepening African integration and strengthening the bonds between our two nations."

The initiative that envisions the free movement of people, goods and services as a cornerstone of continental integration is seen as a boost to the African Continental Free Trade Area framework, which seeks to create a single African market.

It also aligns with part of the African Union's Agenda 2063 aspiration of "an integrated continent, politically united and based on the ideals of pan-Africanism and the vision of Africa's renaissance".

The aspiration emphasizes stronger regional cooperation and integration, the free movement of people, goods and capital and the development of robust institutions across the continent.

Mudavadi, however, noted that diplomats and their families will continue to follow the existing visa procedures in line with respective national laws.

With the accord, Kenya and Benin join a growing list of African nations seeking to break down travel barriers and promote continental unity through visa-free travel.