Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to implement ‘visa-free regime’ with all African countries, but too much symbolism has characterized its policy towards Africa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ‘visa-free regime’ for Africa aimed at strengthening cultural relations with the continent. That tectonic announcement filled the local Russian media from Moscow to Vladivostok.
Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry clarified that the ‘visa-free regime’ for African countries was still under serious review, diplomatic talks with different countries on the drafts of visa-free travel agreements were undergoing different stages as each of them had its own specifics. In addition, there was the necessity to put African countries into categories or groups.
On 2nd October 2024, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department Head Alexey Klimov explained in an interview with local Russian media: “Russia is currently working out travel agreements on abolishing visa requirements and providing visa-free entry for short-term trips, usually up to 90 days, with a number of friendly states, nine of them being the countries of Africa and the Middle East.”
“As always, we will immediately inform the public about the concrete results achieved and embodied in documented bilateral agreements,” Klimov concluded, the full transcript posted the official ministry’s website.
With the changing times, Russia has been pursuing an integrative multipolar relations with friendly countries around the world, including those in Africa. Asian countries have been granted such short-term visa-free privileges. In practical terms, this boosts tourism. Quite noticeable that Russia is still not a popular holiday destination for Africa’s political elite, corporate business leaders and the middle-class. Undoubtedly African politicians and corporate business leaders highly prefer to spend their vacation in the United States and Europe. Some Asian destinations are increasingly becoming their preferential choice for recreation. That trend is unlikely to change, it will remain as such for the next decades.
After the Russia-Africa summits, both Russia and Africa adopted joint declarations – in fact comprehensive documents which outline various parameters for uplifting cooperation into a new qualitative stage. Tourism is one of the well-praised spheres during the discussions. Brilliant speeches overwhelmingly called for frequent exchange of cultural groups, and to take comprehensive measures to promote a broad scope of cultural and tourism collaboration between Russia and Africa.
Ultimately, in order to boost effective economic interests and to foster cooperation, frequent interactions are simply necessary. The frequency of interaction should not only be established during summits and conferences. Some basic strategic steps and measures are also necessary to encourage simply holiday travels to both regions. These are significantly missing in the current relations between Russia and Africa. Critics often say, Russia is contributing enormously to its own so-termed isolation, by closing its doors especially when there are huge opportunities to develop first-class tourism. The African elite could visit Moscow, St. Petersburg and coastal cities including Sochi, and along the Volga river.
Certainly, by playing flexible visa regimes will not only promote tourism and strengthen cultural ties, but also in practical terms, will build positive perceptions and further help to neutralise high level of western media disinformation across the continent. There is the need to take a pragmatic approach to these important questions, and carefully review social aspects to leverage people-to-people interactions.
Noticeably, Russian officials only consider official state visit by heads of African states and ministers as an essential pillar of their version of building relations in the expected multipolar world.
With current geopolitical situation, Africa’s middle-class estimated at 380 million (twice Russia’s population) has suitable alternative holiday destinations. For now, Moscow and St. Petersburg are not their desired priority for spending vacations. Russian tour operators acknowledge, in a media query with this article author, that there is nothing to refer to “as African tourism to Russia” in bilateral entrepreneurial activity. Statistics are absolutely unavailable (non-existent) for the number of African tourists to Russia. But on the opposite side, African destinations such as Egypt, Morocco, Maldives, Seychelles, South Africa and Zanzibar – which are popular among Russian vacationers.
Most often, Russian and African experts have been discussing how best to promote exchanges of delegations, explore untapped resources, the possibilities of boosting cooperation in the field of tourism, dissemination of information on tourism opportunities of the Russian Federation and African States. The tourism experts and researchers note in policy reports that people-to-people relations and cultural ties can play a positive role in fostering mutual understanding and dialogue between populations.
For these past few years, the summit declarations remain tacitly as declarations. In practical terms, visa-free regime for African countries has remained largely as official documents stacked in computerized files and would later be pushed into electronic historical archives. The basic question often asked is for what purposes are the summit declarations.Â
“Russia is ready to build multifaceted relations with Africa. If Russia Wins, Africa Wins!” remarked as Chairman of the African Union, Comoros President Azali Assoumani during late July St. Petersburg summit, the plenary session held in 2023.
With hopes for an enduring collaboration on long-term programs, Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was created. And it has since been networking, and with the aim of promoting Russia’s economic interests in Africa and to foster mutually beneficial cooperation with African countries.
Local Russian media abuzzed with latest information emerging from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Russia plans ‘visa-free regime’ with all African countries, further explained that it was within the framework of Joint Action Plan (2023-2026) adopted at the second summit in St. Petersburg.
From investigations, Russia has ‘visa-free agreements’ with only six African countries. And visa-free regime only applied to African countries that signed agreements with Foreign Ministry. Within the agreements, only holders of diplomatic passports are permitted under this consular agreement.Â
According to sources monitored, agreements would be signed after successful negotiations with Russian authorities. One source confirmed in an interview with me that Russia has an agreement on “visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic service passports” with 32 countries on the continent, and yet refused to make public – the official list of approved African countries.Â
Thus far, Russia looks more like a ‘virtual great power’ than a practical genuine challenger to European, American and Chinese influence. Official speeches have frequented highlighted those narratives over anti-colonialism, anti-western criticisms and further described serious growing concerns and take measures primarily at ensuring Africa’s sovereignty. Â
The Director of the Department of Partnership with Africa of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Tatiana Dovgalenko, in an interview with the TV BRICS channel, July 9, 2025 emphasized that the importance of her new department is its functionality – focus on the comprehensive, integrated development of relations between Russia and the entire African continent, which are experiencing a real revival today. It implies that the main task is to implement the decisions which cover a wide range of cooperation areas including culture and tourism.Â
While Russian officials focus on their work aims at increasing the Russian presence in Africa, facilitating Africa’s presence in the Russian Federation is largely underestimated. At this changing times, officials have to necessarily note with mutual interest over the economic presence of Africa, beyond just training students, in the Russian Federation. And of course, promoting African tourism is not only a promising niche, but also a unique pathway for sustaining the bilateral cooperation.
Moreover, on this bilateral tourism question, Tatiana Dovgalenko rightly pointed out that active participation of representatives of the African tourism industry in various events in Russia and the introduction of visa-free travel to African countries would help increase the tourist appeal of Africa. And vice versa, as a dual highway. Within the Action Plan of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum for the period 2023-2026, it is, however, anticipated that both Russia and Africa hold constructive positions on their mutual bilateral ties and in this emerging multipolar world.
