Business visas get in the way of trade facilitation

News that the Namibian
authorities have decided to
enforce visa requirements for
South Africans on business trips
to the country is an example of
how infrastructure investment
to speed up the physical f low of
goods is not being matched by
upgrades in legislation.
The fact that there is some
confusion over the need for the
visas adds to the cost and hassles
of doing cross-border business,
and is just one example of how
non-tariff barriers are hobbling
efforts to grow intra-African
trade across borders.
FTW’s sister publication
eTNW first reported on the
business visa clampdown in
March this year.
It was confirmed by a
travel agent, and is listed as a
requirement by the AA, but the
Namibian High Commissioner of
South Africa’s website lists South
Africa as one of the countries
that is exempt from business visa
requirements.
Namibia, it must be noted, is
positioning itself as the SADC
trade gateway to the rest of the
world, and is investing billions
of rand in port, rail and road
infrastructure.
One of the key target markets
for the port of Walvis Bay is
Gauteng. Any regulations
making it more difficult for
South African business people
to pop over the border for a
meeting or to see for themselves
the impressive work being done
on the port make it that much
harder for Walvis Bay to sell
itself.
South Africa has also been
making it harder for the rest of
Africa to do business with the
country.
A tit-for-tat visa quarrel
between the Kenyan and South
African authorities in 2014 saw
Kenya brief ly impose strict visa
regulations.
While South Africans can once
again obtain their business visas
at the Kenyan border entry point,
their Kenyan counterparts still
have to go through a lengthy
process to obtain permission
to come to South Africa on
business.
Kenyan business people are
not the only ones who receive
an unfriendly welcome by the
authorities – the Department
of Home Affairs lists only
Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania,
Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi,
Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique
and Swaziland as African
countries whose citizens do not
require business visas for limited
visits.