Burundi’s immigration policies for other Africans have improved significantly, with the country’s visa openness up 32 spots year-on-year and becoming the second-most open country in the East African Community (EAC) bloc.
According to a new report by the African Development Bank (ADB), Burundi’s rise, particularly since 2021, is due to the country’sacceptance of all African travelers without a visa (all East Africans) or with a visa on arrival (all other Africans) into the country.
Burundi does not yet have e-Visas, but Africans do not need to apply for entry permits before traveling to Burundi.
Also, read; Kenya’s Nelly Cheboi Named 2022 CNN Hero For Creating Computer Labs for Schoolchildren
Burundi’s decision to allow all Africans visa-free travel helped the country climb from 44th to 12th place, making it one of the countries to rise in the continent’s visa openness rankings, along with Benin, Nigeria, and Ethiopia have improved the most.
That can give President Évariste Ndayishimiye credit for reforming his country’s immigration and foreign policies since he came to power at the height of Covid-19.
In the EAC block, the Africa Visa Openness 2022 report shows that Rwanda remains the country with the highest visa opening, allowing visitors from 18 African countries visa-free and granting visas on arrival to all other Africans. In Africa, it ranks fifth after Benin, Seychelles, Gambia and Ghana.
