Closed Doors in the West, Open Arms at Home: Africa’s Travel Shift

Traveling to many places, particularly Europe and the US, with an African passport can feel like navigating a bureaucratic minefield—lengthy visa processes, high fees, and invasive documentation leave many Africans facing what some describe as “low-level trauma.” With US President Trump’s renewed travel bans targeting several African countries, families are increasingly fractured, students stranded, and relationships strained. Other Western nations are echoing this trend with harsh immigration policies that limit reunification. Yet, in a refreshing contrast, Kenya recently waived visa requirements for nearly all African nations—a move that signals a bold embrace of regional solidarity and offers hope for easier intra-African movement. As barriers rise abroad, Africa itself may become the sanctuary where its people reconnect and thrive, and without the hurdles that have made the West increasingly hard to access.

The Guardian