With its eyes set on making the country the number one business and travel destination in the Caribbean, Barbados is making it easier for citizens of various African countries to visit with ease.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator, Dr Jerome Walcott, announced that the government has supported the cancellation of visa for citizens of several African countries which will be implemented with immediate effect.
The new implementation affects countries including Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia, Morocco, Senegal, Rwanda, Burkina Faso and Ghana from which Barbados receives a lot of visitors and has several ties. Citizens from these countries will therefore not need a visa when travelling to Barbados.
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“We recognise that Africa, a continent of 54 countries, many of them showing growth rates of five, six, and seven per cent, in terms of Rwanda, it is time for us to look more closely at that continent. We have made a pledge, and we are moving towards establishing a mission in Accra, Ghana before the end of this year,” he said.
Dr Jerome Walcott stated that the move was also to bring Africa and the Caribbean a step closer as the two share similarities through a common history and could work together to project the black community.
“We recognize in terms of travel that the stipulations for visas are sometimes a deterrent for tourists and those seeking to establish business with the country, they find it fairly complicated. In this regard, the Cabinet of Barbados agreed to remove the visa requirements for several countries in different parts of the world,” he said at a press conference last week.
The visa exemption has also been extended to other countries across the world including the Gulf States of Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Qatar as well as the Asian countries of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and India.
