00:00Namibia wants to match its visa policy with countries that require visas for
00:05Namibian citizens. So, from April, new visa requirements will apply to over 30
00:11countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Japan, Italy,
00:17Canada, France and Ukraine. The new visa policy is supposed to ensure equal
00:23treatment for Namibians. But could it harm the country's international
00:27interests? Welcome to the Flipside. I think it is only fair that Namibia
00:31takes this approach and demands visas from those countries who are not doing
00:35the same. Namibia had for decades hoped for reciprocity for its visa-free entry
00:40criteria for countries in the developed world. But that didn't happen. In July
00:472023, the UK even tightened its visa policy for Namibians specifically, citing
00:53a large number of asylum applications. But UK citizens don't need a visa to
00:58visit Namibia for stays of up to three months. Namibia's incoming visa rules now
01:04mean that UK citizens will have to pay $90 for e-visas or visas on arrival and
01:09provide proof of money in the bank and no criminal record. It was just time to
01:14change the narrative and see what attention they could get by adopting
01:21this policy. But one can hardly speak of a tit-for-tat situation. The new visa fee
01:27is lower than that of the UK or US and there's still not as much red tape as
01:32Namibian travelers face. For me it was very difficult to get into Europe. It was
01:36a three-month process. The interview was nerve-wracking. So Namibia should
01:41actually be doing that as well, the vetting process. In 2022, almost a third
01:46of the Schengen visa applications by Africans were rejected. Is Namibia
01:51punching above its weight by seeking reciprocity? So reciprocity can only be
01:56applied if the playing field is level, which in our case it is not. And that's
02:01not all. This policy may may go to disrupt or inhibit the investments and
02:08tourism that they so need to help develop their country. World Bank data
02:15puts foreign direct investment inflow to Namibia at 8.4% in 2022 and tourism
02:21accounts for about 7% of GDP. So what's the worst that can happen if getting
02:27into Namibia gets complicated? People might just choose to go to South Africa
02:31where they don't need a visa. Namibia is part of the mostly visa-free 16-member
02:37Southern African Development Community. But like most Africans, Namibians are
02:43more restricted when it comes to travel in Africa than European passport holders.
02:48And an African Union plan for visa-free travel is not off the ground yet.
02:54Namibia should have decided to prioritize adopting a visa-free regime
02:59for AU member states rather than doing a tit-for-tat policy for Western
03:05countries. And that's the flip side.
