Antigua and Barbuda and Rwanda sign a visa waiver agreement and two Memoranda of Understanding focused on Health and Tourism
Antigua and Barbuda and Rwanda have achieved a significant diplomatic milestone by signing a visa waiver agreement and two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) focused on Health and Tourism.
The signing ceremony was held at Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York on July 17.
The visa waiver agreement enables citizens of both nations to travel without requiring entry, transit, or visitor visas on a reciprocal basis. This initiative aims to enhance cultural exchanges and promote trade and business opportunities between the two countries.
Ambassador Walton Webson of Antigua and Barbuda and Ambassador Karoli Martin Ngoga of Rwanda emphasized that this agreement symbolizes a commitment to strengthening ties and facilitating people-to-people connections. It also sets a precedent for South-South cooperation focused on shared development goals.
In addition to the visa waiver, the two nations will cooperate in health by sharing expertise in areas such as disease prevention, health insurance systems, and maternal and child health.
(L-R) Ambassador Karoli Martin Ngoga of Rwanda and Ambassador Walton Webson
The tourism MoU aims to explore mutual development opportunities in the sector, signaling a dynamic partnership that extends beyond travel facilitation to encompass health innovation and sustainable development.
This multifaceted agreement marks a significant step forward in diplomatic relations between Africa and the Caribbean, fostering collaboration and deeper connections.
Hmmmm this is interesting. I’m not yet sure how I feel about this but I hope it’s better that our experience with you know what
Love the visa waiver idea. Makes it easier for cultural and business exchanges to actually happen.
I hope the health collaboration brings real benefits. We have a lot to learn from Rwanda’s healthcare successes.
What a smart and progressive partnership!
What we have with that?
These agreements seem good on paper! However my issue with conflict zones like Rwanda is that the people are trying to escape and seek asylum elsewhere. In addition the UK is debating about sending asylum seekers to reside in Rwanda to ease the burden on the UK. Visa waivers are a good idea for stable economies with good infrastructure to protect the people, not for countries where the governments really want to relieve their burden by giving the people opportunities to settle else where.
We may soon see a situation where we have flights of people trying to escape to Antigua where there are jobs and no risk of life and limb like the Nigerians and Cameroonians
Let’s just wait and see!