Nigeria has introduced a landmark policy granting visa-free entry to citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis, its first such agreement with a nation outside ECOWAS and beyond the African continent.

The policy, which took effect on September 26, 2025, emerged from the 2025 AfriCaribbean Investment Summit (AACIS), organized by Abuja-based Aquarian Consult Limited (ACL) under the leadership of Managing Director Aisha Maina.

Under the agreement, holders of ordinary, official, and diplomatic passports from St. Kitts and Nevis can now enter Nigeria without the need for a visa.

Maina highlighted that this development makes St. Kitts and Nevis the first non-African country to enjoy this status, joining Cameroon and Chad as the only non-ECOWAS African nations with similar arrangements. She described the initiative as a strategic move to strengthen trade, investment, and cultural ties while deepening South-South cooperation.

The AACIS summit, held in Abuja in March with St. Kitts and Nevis as the featured nation, laid the foundation for this historic step. Following the summit, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met with Prime Minister Terrance Drew in Abuja to reinforce both nations’ commitment to enhanced relations.

Furthering these ties, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari, met with St. Kitts and Nevis’ Agriculture Minister, Hon. Samal Duggins, in August to discuss food security, trade opportunities, and technical collaboration.

Prime Minister Drew described the policy as more than just a travel agreement, calling it a symbolic bridge between Africa and its diaspora.

“This agreement reconnects families and communities separated by the painful legacy of slavery. It brings Africa and its diaspora closer together and moves us closer to the dream of a truly united Global Africa,” he said, noting that the arrangement is reciprocal since Nigerians already enjoy visa-free access to St. Kitts and Nevis.