New Heritage party urges govt to revise visa fees, cites economic, security concerns

The New Heritage Party has called for a revision of Zambia’s visa fees to make them more competitive with regional standards, rather than completely abolishing them.

Party leader, Chishala Kateka, aligned with Citizens First president Harry Kalaba in expressing concern over government’s decision to waive Visa requirements for an additional 53 countries, arguing it could harm the economy.

In a statement issued Thursday, Kateka stressed that revising Visa fees downward would allow the country to retain foreign exchange while preserving national security.

She criticized government’s decision as hasty and urged a more comprehensive approach to addressing issues facing the tourism industry.

“We acknowledge that an initial 100 countries were granted this status under the current administration. However, this approach is too simplistic to address a complex problem,” Kateka said.

She added that while Zambia’s visa fees might be high, they were not the sole factor influencing tourist arrivals.

High accommodation and food costs, corruption by traffic police, poor infrastructure, and unprofessional border personnel were also contributing factors, she claimed.

Kateka warned that abolishing visa fees without addressing these other issues would not resolve the tourism sector’s challenges and could compromise Zambia’s security.

She noted that visa requirements allowed host countries to conduct necessary due diligence on applicants, emphasizing that such processes should not be treated as routine.

“To promote intra-African trade, the government should consider opening borders with African Union (AU) members first,” Kateka suggested.

Zambia Monitor reported on December 20, 2024 that the Zambian government had officially waived visa requirements for nationals of 53 countries under Statutory Instrument Number 78 of 2024, with the changes set to take effect on January 1, 2025.

Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister, Jack Mwiimbu, announced the decision during a media briefing in Lusaka on Wednesday, stating that the initiative aimed to position Zambia as an attractive destination for tourism, business, trade, and investment.

The latest visa waiver brings the total number of countries exempted from visa requirements to 167.

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