South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the travel ban imposed by some western countries over the discovery of the Omicron COVID-19 variant is discriminatory and unproductive.
The United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union have placed travel bans on 10 African countries, including Nigeria, Egypt, Malawi, South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia, over discovery of the variant in the continent.
Ramaphosa said, during a joint press conference with President Muhammadu Buhari at the end of the 10th Session of Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) held in Abuja, that the travel restriction was ” harsh and unfair”.
Ramaphosa thanked the leaders of Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal for expressing their dissatisfaction.
“President Buhari, the solidarity expressed by yourself and the Government of Nigeria sends the strongest message. It says that as African countries, we are standing united against the imposition of arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions that are not only unscientific, but counterproductive in the long run,” he said.
“This is a global pandemic. And overcoming it requires that we collaborate and work together as a collective. The resulting damage to this travel ban to the economies of the countries affected will be considerable and long lasting.
“So, I call on the countries who have imposed this ban to reverse their decisions, whether they are in the northern, more developed economies or in other parts of our continent and elsewhere.”
