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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has announced that citizens of the 54 African countries travelling to Nigeria can get their visas at the point of entry. He disclosed this on Wednesday during the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa, which the president is attending in Egypt.

The policy on relaxation of visa rules comes after President Buhari signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement in July. The policy also advances the African Union (AU) Free Movement of Persons Protocol, which seeks to ease visa restrictions on the continent.

“We in Nigeria have already taken the strategic decision to bring down barriers that have hindered the free movement of our people within the continent by introducing the issuance of visa at the point of entry into Nigeria to all persons holding passports of African countries with effect from January, 2020,” Buhari said.

While speaking on Wednesday at the inauguration of the Africa-Frontex Intelligence Community (AFIC) in Abuja, Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, had disclosed that the president was expected to make the announcement on the change in visa policy for African visitors.

In 2018, the Nigerian government had implemented a visa-on-arrival policy for selected categories of business people visiting the country. This was part of the National Action Plan on Ease of Doing Business (EoDB).

The two-day Aswan forum, which Buhari is attending in Egypt, focuses on post-conflict reconstruction, education, climate change and sustainable development in Africa. During his speech at the event, Buhari said conflict resolution in Africa remains a critical component in the overall development of the continent.

“As Africans it is important to focus on the issues of conflict prevention and resolution. Conflicts have devastating effects on our societies and they militate against our progress. In this regard, the need to silence the guns cannot be overemphasized,” Buhari said.

The president also drew attention to the effects of climate change, which are fuelling conflicts and insecurity in the Sahel region, as well as the attendant economic consequences for the region.

“The issue of climate change should be given the due attention that it deserves. The effects of Climate Change are at the root of some of the conflicts in parts of the continent," Buhari stated. "This is why we must focus on the issue of the recharging of the Lake Chad which used to provide livelihood to over forty million people in the region. It is difficult to expect durable stability in the region without restoration of the shrinking lake.