The Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN) has called on African governments to adopt a continent-wide cultural mobility framework to strengthen tourism, economic cooperation and regional integration across Africa.
President of the association, Femi Fadina, made the call in an interview with journalists in Lagos while reacting to Nigeria’s newly implemented 30-day visa-free entry policy for Rwandan citizens.
The policy followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s announcement at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali and is aimed at promoting intra-African mobility, tourism and economic cooperation.
Fadina described the reciprocal visa arrangement between Nigeria and Rwanda as a major step toward deeper regional integration and continental connectivity.
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“It represents a philosophical shift from border protection to continental connection. Africa’s future prosperity depends on African interconnectedness,” he stressed.
The Association President therefore, urged African countries to collectively establish a cultural mobility framework centred on tourism, creativity, education and economic diplomacy to unlock the continent’s tourism potential.
According to him, the framework should include simplified short-term travel access for African citizens, special mobility arrangements for professionals in the creative industry and a unified African festival calendar to encourage year-round travel across the continent.
Fadina said Africa was often promoted globally as separate destinations instead of a connected cultural civilisation, noting that easier movement across countries would create a stronger tourism corridor rather than fragmented markets competing against one another.
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He explained that improved intra-African mobility would increase spending within the continent by boosting activities in airlines, transport services, hotels, festivals, tour operations and the creative industry.
The ATPN President also said easier travel across Africa would deepen cultural understanding among Africans through greater exposure to shared histories, traditions and artistic influences.
Fadina noted that Nigeria already possessed one of Africa’s strongest cultural export ecosystems through Nollywood, Afrobeats, fashion, cuisine and youth culture.
He, however, said restrictive travel systems had limited the country’s ability to convert its cultural influence into tourism revenue.
According to him, improved mobility policies across Africa could position cities such as Lagos as major destinations for fashion, entertainment, conferences and festival tourism, further strengthening Nigeria’s position as a continental hub for cultural and creative tourism.
NAN
