For years African leaders have toyed with the idea of free movement by citizens across the continent, even raising the possibility of a single African passport.
Now some countries, most recently Kenya, are taking bold steps to encourage borderless travel that could spur trade and economic growth in a region in desperate need of both.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced during his inauguration last week that the East African commercial hub will now give visas on arrival to all Africans. That follows similar measures by nations including Benin and Rwanda.
The African Union continental body has cheered such steps, calling it the direction the 54-nation continent needs to take. It says trade among African countries is at just 16 per cent, while trade among European Union states is at 70 per cent.
