IGAD Calls for Visa-Free Movement to Boost Trade, Tourism, and Disaster Resilience in Member States

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has called on member states to abolish visas to facilitate the free movement of persons within the region, aiming to boost trade, tourism, and provide safe havens in the face of natural and man-made disasters.

In this context, citizens of IGAD will be able to find homes in any of the eight member countries of this regional economic community.

“A free movement region has a baseline indicator: a visa-free region. Member states must embrace the spirit of this Protocol by waiving and abolishing visas. The essence of this Protocol is to create a visa-free region, not just in spirit but also in practice, as it is enshrined in the articles of the protocol,” stated Lucy Daxbacher, EUTF Program Manager for Protocols on Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance.

As a buffer against the economic, migratory, and disaster-related challenges faced by citizens in the IGAD region, member states are making strides towards establishing visa-free movement for their citizens across borders.

With five countries—Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan—now signatories to IGAD’s free movement protocol, officials have revealed that citizens will be able to find homes in any member state during times of disaster or by choice.

“Member states will also issue work permits to citizens who secure employment across borders. The protocol allows citizens to apply for and accept employment in any country of their choice or where they find work,” Daxbacher added.

Under this arrangement, IGAD’s transhumance protocol similarly mandates free movement for pastoral communities, facilitating a transition from nomadic to more settled lifestyles.

“The transhumance protocol provides a framework for our pastoral communities, which are mobile across borders, to regularize and facilitate cross-border mobility to access water, pasture, resources, and other services,” explained Japheth Kasimbu, IGAD transhumance expert.

He added that the protocol aims to ensure the orderly movement of pastoral communities.

Current statistics indicate significant population growth in the IGAD region, from 124.7 million in 1990 to 281.7 million by 2019, with the annual population growth rate remaining above 2.6% throughout this period.