https://www.polity.org.za
Deepening Democracy through Access to Information
Home / News / All News RSS ← Back
Close

Email this article

separate emails by commas, maximum limit of 4 addresses

Sponsored by

Close

Article Enquiry

Central African bloc creates visa-free zone

Close

Embed Video

Central African bloc creates visa-free zone

Central African bloc creates visa-free zone

3rd November 2017

By: African News Agency

SAVE THIS ARTICLE      EMAIL THIS ARTICLE

Font size: -+

Following 23 years of negotiation, the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) has reached a key milestone agreement making travel within the six-member regional bloc visa-free, the Voice of America (VOA) has reported.

Citizens of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon and Chad no longer need visas to travel within the six-member economic bloc.

Advertisement

The agreement was announced by Chad’s President Idris Deby at the CEMAC heads of state summit in Ndjamena, Chad’s capital.

Explaining the move, Deby said it was a concrete measure demonstrating the integration of central Africa as a reality, the raison de etre of CEMAC.

Advertisement

However, challenges remain to ensuring free movement and deepening economic integration.

Former Chadian prime minister, and economist, Youssouf Saleh, said the effectiveness of the free movement of goods and people would depend on whether there was also an integrated and competitive economy and whether political divides that have hampered economic activity could be broken.

Last year Gabon and Equatorial Guinea sealed their borders to prevent youths seeking employment flooding into their countries and also expelled a number of CEMAC migrants, exacerbating a down-turn in both of their economies following the global drop in oil prices.

EMAIL THIS ARTICLE      SAVE THIS ARTICLE

To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Comment Guidelines

About

Polity.org.za is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Engineering News
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa

Read more

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Polity.org.za is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options
Free daily email newsletter Register Now