Namibia Visa Squeeze: Introducing policy friction to a near US$1 bil industry

Namibia has taken a fascinating stance on foreign relations with the announcement that it is looking to introduce visa-related hurdles for countries that don’t have favourable terms for its people. On May 24th, 2024, The Namibian Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security announced that Cabinet had approved an entry visa for the following countries.

Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Uzbekistan.

On the one hand, this is progressive and advocates for equality when it comes to the treatment of Namibian nationals who, for one reason or another, want to explore or seek opportunities in another country. Namibia has a relatively small population of 2.6 million and will not suddenly have a prolific diaspora in other countries overnight. Additionally, Namibia’s economy is relatively stable, what with it being part of the Common Monetary Area that includes South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. However, on the other hand, Namibia has very little leverage on the global stage and this policy has raised concern among some who may see it as putting the industry in peril.

“We believe when this comes into effect, the impact on tourism would be minimal. We also believe that tourists would be able to acquire visas upon arrival, which offers flexibility to our tourists,”

Romeo Muyunda, Spokesperson for The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (via The Namibian)