Off the wire
• Chinese women soccer team beaten 2-0 by Germany at Algarve Cup  • Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, March 6  • India records low-scoring cricket World Cup victory over West Indies  • China's military leaders pledge to uphold "Four Comprehensives"  • British traffic wardens ordered to give 10 minute reprieve to over-stayers  • UN experts warn of regressive signs for gender equality  • Sinopec completes stake sale to diversify ownership  • 1st LD Writethru: Police chief calls for deepening mainland-HK cooperation  • Hungary's GDP up by 3.6 pct in 2014  • 1st LD: Iraqi forces free town in Salahudin province from IS militants  
You are here: 　 Home

Zambia waives visa requirements for COMESA nationals

Xinhua, March 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Zambian government has officially issued a circular waiving visas and visa fees for all nationals in countries belonging to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), an official from the trading bloc said on Friday.

Zambia has sent an official letter indicating its intent to waive the visa requirements, according to Houssein Guedi-Absieh, an immigration officer at the COMESA Secretariat.

The official told the Lusaka Times on-line that this was a welcome move and paves the way for the implementation of a COMESA Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Services, Labor and Rights of Establishment and Residence in the region.

"Although, we have not recorded new signatures and ratifications, a number of member states have showed their strong commitment and promised to speed-up the process of signing and ratifying the protocol. The government of the republic of Zambia has sent an official letter which stated that the protocol will soon be signed," he said.

So far, four countries, namely Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Zimbabwe out of the 19 COMESA member states have signed the protocol of free movement of persons and only Burundi has fully ratified the protocol, he added.

According to him, Kenya and Rwanda were the two countries that were already complying with the protocol and are gradually applying most of the provisions of the protocol and have promised to ratify it soon.

In 2012, the fifth meeting of COMESA ministers responsible for immigration took a decision that the secretariat should play a proactive role in engaging in direct consultations with member states towards implement of the protocol on the free movement, he added.

The secretariat has since embarked on raising awareness aimed at promoting the signing and ratifying of the protocol by member countries. Endi