A new report, Africa Visa Openness Index, by the African Development Bank and the African Union Commission has released a list of African countries making travel into their countries by Africans easier.
“The top 20 most visa-open countries also improved their overall average score in 2016. The majority of African countries have either improved their visa openness scores (by offering visas on arrival or not requiring visas for other Africans) or have kept their 2015 scores,” says the report.
African countries are on average becoming more open to each other, with indications that travel within the continent is becoming easier.
Seychelles remains the top performing country on visa openness, since it is still the only country in the continent to offer visa-free access for all Africans.
Here is a rank of the 20 African countries that are making progress is making easier intra-Africa travel. Countries with the highest visa openness in Africa 2016;
1.Seychelles 2.Uganda 3.Togo 4.Guinea Bissau 5.Cape Verde 6.Ghana 7.Mauritania 8.Mozambique 9.Mauritius 10.Rwanda 11.Comoros 12.Madagascar 13.Somalia 14.Djibouti 15.Kenya 16.Senegal 17.Tanzania 18.Gambia 19.Malawi 20.Burkina Faso
The report measures the openness of African countries in granting entry to Africans and facilitating travel. It looks at whether countries allow people to travel to their country without a visa; if travelers can get a visa on arrival in the country; or whether visitors need to obtain a visa before travel.
“Our leaders have to bring down the walls that separate us, from East Africa to Central Africa to North Africa to West Africa. We need a wider open market,” Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Group, said in a statement.
13 African countries out of 55 offer eVisas compared to 9 in 2015. 22 percent of Africans don’t need a visa to travel to other African countries. Africans can get visas on arrival in 24% of other African countries; however, Africans need visas to travel to 54% African countries.
Central Africa still remains the most closed region, in the top 20 most visa-open countries, none are in Central Africa. 40% of countries in the top 20 most visa-open countries are in East Africa; 35% are in West Africa; 20% are in Southern Africa, and 5% are in North Africa.
Many of the continent’s regional and strategic hubs continue to have restrictive visa policies. Africa’s small, landlocked and island states are more open, promoting trade links with their neighbors. Meanwhile the Upper Middle Income countries as a group have low visa openness scores.
Benin, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbambwe have proposed removing visas for Africans, granting multiple entry visas for African business and academics and removing visas within Regional Economic Communities.
Data on visa openness was collected between September 2016 and January 2017. The primary source of information was the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and various questionnaires sent to national focal points.
The African Union launched an AU passport last year that would grant holders access to all 55 AU members which is in the pilot phase with only heads of state, foreign ministers, and other top-level officials issued at the moment.
