Presidents travelling abroad is nothing new, and the reasons for such travels are diverse. In Africa, ever since the dawn of what has been labelled as ‘economic diplomacy’, these travels have been a source of heated debates on the merits or otherwise of these frequent foreign travels. However, these foreign travels tell another story about the reality of domestic politics.
Frequent travelling African presidents have been variously labelled by their critics as ‘globetrotters’, ‘flying presidents’, ‘roaming presidents’, ‘tourist in chief’ or, in the worst-case scenario, ‘absentee presidents’. Critics have argued that while some foreign travel is necessary for a president, some of these foreign travels have not had any tangible benefits to their countries and happen at times when some of these countries face severe cost of living crises or security challenges.
