• Online Reporter
• Herald 
• October 21, 2025

Ivan Zhakata

Herald Correspondent

ZIMBABWE stands ready to benefit significantly from a borderless Africa that promotes visa-free travel, free trade and regional economic integration, Ghana’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Bonaventure Adjavor has said.

Speaking at the Embassy of Ghana in Harare during a meeting with the Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign delegation, Ambassador Adjavor said free movement of people and goods across the continent would boost trade, tourism and investment opportunities for Zimbabwe and other African nations.

He said Africa’s fragmented markets, high transport costs and restrictive visa systems continue to make doing business on the continent expensive and uncompetitive.

“For Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa to grow economically, we must embrace a borderless Africa,” Ambassador Adjavor said.

“We can only do business if we have free movement of people and goods. It is currently too costly to move cargo or travel within Africa.”

He said goods often take long routes across continents due to logistical constraints.

“For goods to move from Ghana to Zimbabwe, they sometimes have to go through Europe before being transshipped,” Ambassador Adjavor said.

“That is unsustainable and adds unnecessary costs that make African products less competitive.”

Ambassador Adjavor said regional blocs such as SADC, COMESA and ECOWAS must intensify efforts towards a common market and customs union.

“We are still at the first level of integration — free trade — but even that is not fully operational,” he said.

“Until we have a unified tariff and shared customs system, Africa cannot realise the benefits of a common market.”

He said visa-free travel would also enhance Zimbabwe’s attractiveness as a tourism and investment destination, enabling local businesses to reach wider African markets.

Leader of the Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign, Ras Mubarak, said the campaign’s goal was to promote visa-free travel and cross-border tourism as tools for economic development and continental unity.

“A visa-free Africa is a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and cultural exchange,” he said.

“By removing visa barriers, we can unlock Africa’s immense potential and make it easier for people to visit destinations like Zimbabwe, which is already Africa’s top tourism destination according to Forbes.”

Ras Mubarak said the campaign, which has reached its 16th stop in Zimbabwe as part of a 40 000 km journey across 39 African countries, seeks to build momentum towards a more integrated and accessible continent.

He said the delegation had visited the National Heroes Acre in Harare to pay tribute to Zimbabwe’s founding leaders, including the late former President Robert Mugabe and his wife Sally, a Ghanaian who contributed to Zimbabwe’s liberation and development and the late vice president Joshua Nkomo.

“We honour their legacy and reaffirm our commitment to a united and prosperous Africa,” Ras Mubarak said.

Both Ambassador Adjavor and Ras Mubarak said Africa’s development depends on eliminating visa restrictions, improving transport infrastructure and harmonising trade policies to foster investment and intra-African commerce.

“If Africa can move and trade freely, countries like Zimbabwe will benefit from increased trade, tourism and industrial growth,” Ambassador Adjavor said.

The Trans Africa Tourism and Unity Campaign will continue its journey across the continent, engaging governments and stakeholders to advance the vision of a visa-free and economically integrated Africa.

© Herald