Liberia Tourism Director General Calls for Critical Connectivity Reform to Advance Visa-Free Africa
Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles: Director General Princess Eva Cooper has called on African tourism leaders and stakeholders to prioritize seamless connectivity across the continent, stressing that a visa-free Africa will only be meaningful if supported by affordable, efficient, and accessible transportation systems.
The statement was made during the second day of the 69th Meeting of the UN Tourism Regional Commission for Africa (CAF) and the thematic conference on “Strengthening Human Capital to Boost Africa’s Tourism Growth,” held from 2–4 July 2026 in Victoria, Mahé, Republic of Seychelles. The meeting brought together tourism ministers, senior government officials, UN Tourism leadership, private sector representatives, and tourism stakeholders from across Africa.
DG Cooper emphasized that visa-free travel cannot succeed in isolation. She argued that Africa must address the practical barriers that prevent people, skills, services, and opportunities from moving freely across the continent. According to the Director General, Africa must look beyond air travel and consider broader transportation systems, including road networks and rail transport across neighboring countries.
She highlighted the difficulty of intra-African travel, using Liberia as an example. She noted that it can take less than six hours to travel from Liberia to Belgium, while a journey from Liberia to Nigeria—despite Nigeria being geographically closer—can take longer travel hours due to limited direct connections. “This is why we must treat connectivity as a tourism emergency,” she emphasized. “If African countries open their borders but people cannot move easily from one country to another, then free movement will not achieve its intended purpose.”
The DG Cooper further called for the conversation to move beyond technical meetings and conference rooms. She urged the UN Tourism Secretary General to invite African Presidents, Heads of State, Ministers, regional institutions, and development partners into a room to take stronger collective action to address the continent’s connectivity gap.
“A visa-free Africa must be supported by a connected Africa,” she noted. “ As Africa continues to position tourism as a driver of economic transformation, Liberia’s tourism leadership is calling for connectivity to be treated as a central pillar of the continent’s development agenda. She reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to working with regional and international partners to support practical solutions that make African tourism more accessible, competitive, inclusive, and truly connected.
