African and Caribbean nations have come together to grant visa-free access to the citizens. Rwanda and the Bahamas have allowed citizens of each other countries to have visa-free access.
Reportedly, the development came as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth – Frederick Mitchell and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda – Olivier Nduhungirehe, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on mutual visa requirements exemption on Monday.
The signing of MoU occurred on the side-lines of packed week of activities that is associated with the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.
As per the sources, the landlocked East-African country hailed the signing as “a significant step in diplomatic relations between Rwanda and the Bahamas.”
The Bahamian Passport holders have access to 161 visa-free countries, that are making it the 21st strongest one, in the world and second in the region behind Barbados.
Rwanda has signed several visa-free agreements with many Caribbean countries, that are a part of the Commonwealth of Nations, including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Guyana.
The agreement was formalised on September 23, in New York during the 79th United Nations General Assembly. It followed the visit of President Paul Kagame to the Bahamas in July 2023, where he attended the 50th Independence celebration.
During his visit, he met with Prime Minister – Philip Davis to discuss the ways to strengthen the bilateral relations. The two nations have discussed about strengthening ties in various sectors in the year 2022. Kagame noted at the one-day official visit to Barbados, the ongoing discussions about travel and visa waivers between the two countries.
Kagame emphasized that the importance of direct travel between Africa and the Caribbean, and noted considerable interest of Africans in connecting with the region.
Currently, Rwandan citizens can travel visa-free to 32 countries, that require an eVisa for nine countries and needs to apply for a visa for 22 other countries. It is recorded in September 2024 that the Rwandan passport has ranked 156th at the global level, that evaluates the passports of 199 countries and territories.
Whereas, the Bahamian citizens can travel visa-free to 127 countries, for which they need an eVisa to travel 13 countries and must apply for a visa to enter into other 22 countries. By this month, the Bahamian passport provides holders with extensive global mobility, that allows access to 127 countries and territories without any requirement of the visa.