By Ebi Kesiena
Ethiopia has approved a bilateral agreement with Nigeria to waive visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and service passports, marking a step toward easing official travel and strengthening bilateral ties.
The agreement, which eliminates visa barriers for senior government officials and diplomats, was endorsed by Ethiopia’s Council of Ministers over the weekend. The proposal has now been forwarded to the country’s House of People’s Representatives for legislative ratification.
Once fully adopted, the agreement will allow visa-free travel for government functionaries between Africa’s two most populous countries, enhancing cooperation in areas such as trade, regional security and multilateral engagements.
The original memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in February 2020 by Nigeria’s then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and Ethiopia’s former Foreign Minister, Gedu Andargachew. The agreement was formalised in the presence of Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Abiy Ahmed, during bilateral talks aimed at deepening diplomatic and economic collaboration.
Analysts view the visa waiver as a meaningful gesture in Africa’s push for greater integration, particularly under the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which both nations support. It is also expected to foster smoother diplomatic engagement and bureaucratic coordination between the two regional powers.
Ethiopia has signed similar visa-free agreements with countries such as China, South Korea, India, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, reflecting Addis Ababa’s strategic effort to strengthen its diplomatic footprint.
The latest accord with Nigeria reinforces Ethiopia’s ambitions to become a regional diplomatic hub amid evolving geopolitical dynamics across the continent.
