Kenyans are set for a travel cost reprieve as Mauritius eases its Visa requirements for 29 African countries. You will no longer have to pay for Visas to Mauritius, according to the country’s Passport and Immigration Office. Other countries like Algeria and Djibouti have to cope with 60 day Visas. (Kenya had previously been a part of the 60-day bracket) There are also tourists Visas for other countries that can last for as short a time as two weeks.

These policies have, in the past, forced COMESA travelers to pay rates like any other international country. However the group has been pushing for a common Visa for its member states. The move is part of an initiative that calls for Visa-free travel into all countries registered under the group.

“The COMESA region has grown stronger in the past year because of the consolidation of its internal market through the elimination of non-tariff barriers (NTBs). Of all reported NTBs, 72% were removed and we continue to streamline our trade facilitation programmes,” said Malawi Minister of Trade and Industry, John Bande.

Speaking during the opening of the 31st meeting of the COMESA Council of Ministers earlier this week, the outgoing Chairperson called upon all the member states to adopt the Customs Union, a policy that will bring down trade barriers and reduce the cost of doing business in the region.

Hon. Bande added that the Committee for Trade in Services had already started negotiations among other Member States that have produced final schedules of specific commitments. He noted that the first round of negotiations had been successfully completed and a road map had been agreed upon. COMESA hopes that negotiations will be finalised in the course of next year. If the deal goes through, Kenya, among other member states, will no longer have to pay Visa fees and trade-related taxes to any of the 19 COMESA nations.