NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (April 07, 2025)- Premier of Nevis, the Honourable Mark Brantley, is calling on the Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis to revitalize its diplomatic efforts and pursue expanded visa waiver agreements, particularly with African nations, to bolster the international strength and appeal of the country’s passport, especially under the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme.

Premier Brantley, who also serves as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, highlighted the success of previous diplomatic efforts during his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Kitts and Nevis, which he described as a period of consistent momentum in establishing new international partnerships.

“In the seven years or so that I was there as Foreign Minister almost every two months, three months we were announcing new visa waivers, new diplomatic relations, and since this new government has been in place, I believe now it’s going on three years, I have seen two new countries added in terms of diplomatic relations- Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe- and one added in terms of visa waiver, which is Zimbabwe.

“So, if we were keeping that same momentum, we should have added about 15 or 20 additional countries by now. Now, why is that important? It’s important one, that we’re developing and demonstrating that we’re developing relations with Africa; it’s also important, two, because every country that we add in terms of visa waiver, or visa upon arrival strengthens our passport. It gives our passport greater appeal.”

Premier Brantley reiterated his earlier objective, expressing that his aim before leaving office was to make the St. Kitts and Nevis passport the most influential in the Caribbean and Latin America.

“My ambition before I left was to make the St. Kitts and Nevis passport the most powerful in all of the Caribbean and Latin America; that was my ambition… and I must say publicly that I have been puzzled that the new government, Prime Minister [Dr. Terrance] Drew’s government, has not continued that expansion.

“We were on a roll, and for whatever reason, never explained, we just sort of hit pause, and I’m not sure why- and it tells a tale because as I said, in three years we’ve only added Zimbabwe as a visa waiver country.”

He was at the time speaking at his March 31 press conference following his participation in the inaugural Afri-Caribbean Investment Summit (ACIS 25) in Abuja, Nigeria. Referencing the summit, Premier Brantley said his discussions focused on tourism, aviation, and visa waivers between Africa and the Caribbean.

The Premier underscored the ease of establishing diplomatic relations and implementation of visa waivers if the political will exists. He questioned why, if there had previously been a successful model, the country was not continuing to serve as a guiding light and leader in establishing reciprocal visa waivers.

“These matters just require some political will,” he said. “So I’m really calling on Dr. [Denzil] Douglas, our Foreign Minister, and his team to really do more in relation to these networks of diplomatic relations and visa waiver arrangements.”

Premier Brantley emphasized the critical importance of deepening ties with African countries, both for cultural connectivity and for tangible diplomatic gains.

Encouraging the federal administration to rekindle its efforts, Brantley concluded that he was hopeful the trip, and the Prime Minister’s positive engagement with Africa, would lead to the initiative returning to the foreign ministry’s agenda as a priority.

A reciprocal visa waiver agreement between countries allows their citizens to travel to each other’s territories for tourism, business, or transit purposes for up to 90 days without the need to obtain a visa.