By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief
ABUJA—Nigeria has granted visa-free access to citizens of St. Kitts & Nevis (SKN), effective September 26, 2025, making SKN the first country outside ECOWAS and beyond Africa to enjoy such privileges.
The move has been described as the foundation of a new trade and mobility corridor linking Africa and the Caribbean.
The breakthrough followed the Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit (AACIS ’25) hosted in Abuja earlier this year by Aquarian Consult Limited (ACL). ACL’s Managing Director, Aisha Maina, said the development underscored the power of strategic facilitation.
“This visa waiver is more than diplomacy; it is about opening doors for trade, investment, and cultural exchange. At ACL, we are proud to have played a role in turning dialogue into action,” she stated.
Until now, Nigeria’s visa-free policy applied only within ECOWAS, with Cameroon and Chad as the only African exceptions outside the bloc. Covering ordinary, official, and diplomatic passports, the waiver is regarded as a bold step to strengthen trade, investment, cultural exchange, and people-to-people ties across the Atlantic.
The agreement builds on growing relations between both nations. In March 2025, shortly after AACIS, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met with SKN’s Prime Minister, Terrance Drew, in Abuja to deepen bilateral cooperation. That same month, a historic non-stop Abuja–Basseterre charter flight carried 120 Nigerian delegates, establishing the first direct air link between West Africa and the Caribbean.
Relations have since expanded into agribusiness, technology, and the creative economy. The Afri-Caribbean Business Expo in Basseterre showcased business opportunities, while bilateral talks in Abuja between Nigeria’s Agriculture Minister, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, and SKN’s Agriculture Minister, Samal Duggins, advanced collaboration on food security and trade facilitation.
The visa waiver reflects Nigeria’s broader policy shift toward targeted bilateral partnerships beyond Africa. Analysts note that extending visa-free privileges to SKN marks a strategic step toward diversifying Nigeria’s trade, tourism, and diplomatic ties, with ACL’s facilitation under Aisha Maina’s leadership positioning the firm as a key driver of Afri-Caribbean relations.
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