Nigeria has approved visa-free access for citizens of St. Kitts & Nevis (SKN), effective September 26, 2025, making SKN the first nation outside ECOWAS and beyond Africa to benefit from such a privilege.
The policy is being hailed as the start of a new trade and mobility corridor linking Africa with the Caribbean.
The breakthrough followed the Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit (AACIS ’25) held earlier this year in Abuja by Aquarian Consult Limited (ACL). Speaking on the development, ACL’s Managing Director, Aisha Maina, said it highlights the impact of strategic facilitation.
“This waiver goes beyond diplomacy, it is about creating opportunities for trade, investment, and cultural exchange. At ACL, we are proud to have helped turn dialogue into action,” she said.
Previously, Nigeria’s visa-free policy was restricted to ECOWAS member states, with Cameroon and Chad as the only exceptions outside the bloc. Extending to ordinary, official, and diplomatic passports, the waiver is seen as a bold move to strengthen trade, investment, cultural cooperation, and people-to-people ties across the Atlantic.
The agreement builds on growing relations between both countries. 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 landmark non-stop Abuja–Basseterre charter flight carried 120 Nigerian delegates, marking the first direct air connection between West Africa and the Caribbean.
