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The All-Africa Students’ Union (AASU) has issued a strongly worded statement condemning the deepening visa consular crisis between Nigeria and Ethiopia, a situation it describes as “wanton” and detrimental to the fabric of African unity, academic exchange, and regional cooperation. According to the Union, recent developments have seen both countries remove each other from their respective eVisa platforms, effectively cutting off ordinary passport holders from any available visa application pathway. This development, AASU asserts, has introduced stringent requirements, extended delays, and increased rejections that are already disrupting academic and diplomatic engagements.

“The recent developments have resulted in stringent visa requirements, delays, and rejections, severely impacting regional integration, academic mobility, and cooperation between the two nations,” stated HE Osisiogu Osikenyi E., President of the All-Africa Students’ Union, as he expressed the Union’s deep unease over the situation.

The visa standoff, according to AASU, has gone far beyond administrative missteps or temporary inconvenience. It now threatens the core tenets of continental cooperation as envisioned by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

AASU emphasized that this impasse directly contradicts the spirit of these continental frameworks, both of which are designed to advance free movement, economic integration, and academic collaboration across African borders. “This visa consular crisis undermines the principles of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063,” the Union declared. “Students, researchers, and academics are finding it increasingly difficult to travel, collaborate, and engage in joint projects, hindering the continent’s progress.”

The Union further painted a dire picture of how academic life has been disrupted by the consular breakdown.

According to the statement, collaborative educational programs that were planned between institutions in Nigeria and Ethiopia are being cancelled or indefinitely postponed because of the uncertainty surrounding visa approvals.

AASU lamented that exchange students, who form a vital part of academic integration, are encountering severe obstacles in their pursuit of education, while research collaboration is becoming more difficult as mobility restrictions tighten.

The union noted that these limitations are not isolated inconveniences but growing barriers to intellectual advancement and innovation across Africa.

“The restrictions imposed by both countries have resulted in cancelled academic programs, disrupted student exchanges, and limited research collaboration,” the Union stated, describing the cumulative impact as a severe blow to the academic and developmental potential of the continent.

In response to these alarming developments, AASU has made a direct appeal to the governments of both Nigeria and Ethiopia to take immediate steps toward resolution. The Union has urged both nations to revise and relax their visa policies, making the process more accessible and efficient in order to facilitate academic mobility and strengthen cooperation.

“The Presidency of the All-Africa Students’ Union urges the Governments of Nigeria and Ethiopia to ease visa requirements, simplify and streamline visa application processes to facilitate academic mobility and cooperation,” Osikenyi declared.

Furthermore, AASU called on both countries to pursue robust diplomatic engagement that will not only resolve the present crisis but also reinforce bilateral ties. The Union stressed that without serious diplomatic commitment, the current tension could set back years of progress in regional integration and inter-country academic collaboration. Osikenyi called on African leaders to see this moment not as a bilateral squabble but as a challenge to the entire continent’s vision for unity.

AASU urged them to “prioritize regional integration and cooperation, recognizing the benefits of academic mobility and collaboration.”

In a powerful appeal to continental leadership, AASU directed its call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, asking them to summon their respective foreign missions and find a solution to what has become a damaging impasse. At the same time, the Union appealed to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, to take a leadership role in facilitating a resolution and encouraging both countries to recommit to the ideals of open collaboration and shared prosperity. “The AASU calls on HE President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR of Nigeria, and HE Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali of Ethiopia; and other African leaders to swiftly summon their Foreign Missions in both countries to address the lingering impasse,” the Union stated, reaffirming its belief that continental cooperation remains achievable. “We believe that by working together, we can build a stronger, more prosperous, and more integrated Africa,” Osikenyi concluded.

The All-Africa Students’ Union, which represents the interests of millions of students across the continent, issued this call not only as a plea for the resolution of a diplomatic dispute but as a warning about the long-term implications such a crisis holds for the educational and developmental aspirations of the African people. AASU’s message is clear and urgent: academic progress, regional integration, and the broader dream of an interconnected Africa must not fall victim to administrative gridlock or political inertia.

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