Southern African Nations to Expand “Univisa” Shared Visa System

Five Southern African nations have taken a significant step towards enhancing tourism within the region by pledging to expand the utilization of a shared visa system. Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, which collectively constitute the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area, have expressed their commitment to extending the reach of the special visa, known as a univisa, aimed at facilitating easier movement for tourists across borders.

Currently operational in Zambia and Zimbabwe, the univisa facilitates entry into multiple countries and includes day trips to Botswana through Kazungula. At a KAZA heads of state summit held in Livingstone, Zambia, regional leaders endorsed the idea of broadening the univisa’s availability to encompass other member states within the conservation area, as well as the broader Southern African economic bloc.

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Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, addressing the summit, emphasised the collective determination to implement the univisa expansion, stating, “We must simply say that this will happen.” His sentiment was echoed by Botswana’s Vice President Slumber Tsogwane, who affirmed his country’s full adoption of the univisa system.

Moreover, member states of KAZA have jointly resolved to lobby the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to reconsider its ban on the trade of elephants and ivory. CITES, an inter-governmental body comprising 184 members, regulates wildlife trade to safeguard species from exploitation. The ban on African elephant ivory trade was imposed in 1989 following a significant decline in the elephant population.

With KAZA nations holding approximately $1 billion worth of ivory stockpiles, they seek permission to engage in limited trade to generate funds for conservation efforts. This move underscores the region’s commitment to balancing conservation imperatives with sustainable management practices.