Currently, the univisa allows access to Zimbabwe and Zambia, with day trips to Botswana through Kazungula
Five countries in southern Africa, namely Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, are expanding their regional unified visa programme, the univisa.
According to reports, this new move is inspired by Europe’s Schengen visa and offers travellers a single entry permit for all five countries. All five countries are members of the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), the world’s second-largest nature and landscape conservation area in Africa.
The statement adds that the univisa is set to ease cross-border travel while enhancing tourism and driving economic growth. Simultaneously, it is also expected to strengthen regional cooperation in tourism efforts among the five countries.
The statement adds that currently, the univisa allows access to Zimbabwe and Zambia, with day trips to Botswana through Kazungula.
According to regional leaders attending a KAZA Heads of State summit in Zambia, plans are underway to extend the unified visa programme (univisa) to other KAZA member countries and parts of the Southern Africa economic bloc.
The statement adds that the KAZA TFCA, located in the great Zambezi and Kavango river basins, offers visitors some of the best game viewing in Africa.
Vice President of Botswana Slumber Tsogwane said his country would fully adopt the univisa. KAZA member states also resolved to urge the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to lift a ban on the trade of elephants and ivory.
It says that the 184-member inter-governmental CITES regulates wildlife trade to protect certain species from over-exploitation. It banned trade in African elephant ivory in 1989 after the animal’s population had declined sharply in the previous decade.
KAZA states say they hold USD 1 billion worth of ivory stockpiles, which they want to trade to fund conservation programmes. It also boasts diverse ecosystems, from lush forests and savannas to deserts and the iconic Okavango Delta, spanning over 15,000 sq km.
The KAZA area is home to several national parks and conservation forests in southern Africa, including the Chizarira National Park, Chobe National Park, Hwange National Park, Kafue National Park, Moremi Game Reserve, and the Sioma Ngwezi National Park. Other attractions include Ngonye Falls, Lake Kariba, and plenty of opportunities for adventure, camping, and wildlife safaris.
