Continental integration in Africa may remain far away, as only five countries provide access during travel without a 100% visa. 28% of travel within Africa are visa-free for Africans, while 25% of travel within Africa offer only options for arrivals. This scenario shows that it is not a free path for continental bonds, Ngozi Egenuka reports.
Many African countries still apply restrictive visa policies for travel within Africa, making it a fantasy like development that poses a major barrier to regional integration in many African countries. It seems like that.
Only five of Ghana's 54 countries have fully opened their borders to all other African citizens, while 49 countries require some form of visa.
This harsh reality is about the feasibility of achieving a unified Africa with free movement for a people and an integrated economy, as outlined in Africa's Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) and Agenda 2063. raises serious concerns.
Recent statistics on African visa policies regarding the Openness Index of African Visas (AVOI) show that Africans do not require a visa for only 28% of their travel within Africa.
When calculating national scores, AVOI assessed the visa policies that countries apply to citizens of the other 53 countries of the continent, and categorized each policy in one of three categories.
The Visa category is (pre-travel visa, arrival visa, no visa).
Progress in the past few years in mitigating travel between African countries has been insufficient.
25% of travel within Africa offer visa options only on arrival, while 47% of African countries require a visa before traveling within the continent. Visa Free Access accounts for only 9.3% of all 54 countries.
Anyway, there has been some progress over the past few years, with 39 countries showing improvements in scores since 2016. However, the overall visa openness score has increased slightly, and the continent remains largely fragmented in terms of mobility.
As of 2024, 43 countries required citizens of at least one other country on the continent to obtain a visa prior to their travels, and 26 countries provided e-VISA to visitors in 2024 .
27 countries are offering visas on arrival to at least one African country citizen for 30 in 2023. Free entry privileges to citizens of at least one other African country.
Countries at the top of the AVOI rankings include the Republic of Benin, Gambia, Rwanda, and the Seychelles.
These countries are often welcomed as shiny examples of how Africa can improve mobility within the region, but they remain exceptions rather than rules.
Meanwhile, large economies like Ghana and Nigeria rank fifth and sixth, alongside Cape Verde (also sixth), respectively, imposing visa restrictions on many African travelers. It's there.
This inconsistency in visa policies hampers the goals of a truly integrated, integrated continent.
At the bottom of the rankings, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Sudan rank in 51, 52, 52 and 54th respectively.
Over the past eight years, five countries have scored the most improved scores in AVOI. Benin moved from 31 to 1. Ethiopia from 46 to 19. Sierra Leone from 32 to 13. Nigeria has 25 to 6, while Gambia has 18 to 1.
The report has encouraged countries such as Ghana and Kenya to consider their visa policies. For example, Ghana has announced that it will be the fifth African country to allow visa-free entry to citizens of all African countries and open borders to all African passport holders.
Kenya said the electronic travel approval (ETA) implemented last year will be dropped for all African countries except Somalia and Libya due to security concerns.
Africa's visa policy contrasts with Western visa policy, where the free movement of people and goods is an important feature of regional cooperation.
For example, in the European Union, citizens of member countries can travel freely within the Schengen region, and even non-EU residents can enter many countries without a visa.
Similarly, the US and Canada have mutual agreements with their neighboring countries, encouraging their cross-border travel and trade.
Africa's limited mobility contrasts with the ease with which citizens of Western countries travel to it. For example, a UK passport will allow visa-free access to 154 countries and territory, while Nigerian passports offer 28 countries, providing far more limited travel freedom.
This disparity in travel privileges not only affects trade, but also hinders cultural exchanges and opportunities for Africans to connect and cooperate on a wider scale.
There is the idea that these travel restrictions within Africa could be an effort to stem the anxiety and terrorism operating on the continent.
It could also be effective as a revenue generation scheme in the country that imposes restrictions.
For development strategist Magnus Onyibe, the lack of trust in Africa and historic baggage continues to influence visa policies, and the fear of economic migration, especially in cases of economic hardship, leads to restrictive policies. He adds that it is.
He explained in the 1980s that migrants in Ghana in Nigeria faced rebound during the economic recession, and economic pressure often showed how they hampered free movement.
However, Onyibe said that the free movement of people, goods and services is beneficial to the continent, as observed in other climates.
Dr. Adesuwa erediauwa, a senior researcher at the Nigerian Institute of International Studies (NIIA), said that the lack of fluid boundaries and the sustainability of restrictive visa policies undermines the principles of Pan-Africanism, resulting in prosperity that shares collaboration capabilities. He said it would hinder the ability to work together towards the side. .
She said that strict visa policies in most Africa are not only a challenge to individual movement freedom, but also to the broader goals of economic cooperation and regional integration.
“The AFCFTA, which aims to boost intra-African trade, faces serious obstacles due to these restrictions. Currently, intra-African trade accounts for only 18% of the continent's total trade. This is far behind other regions such as the European Union (68 per cent), the Association of Southeast Asian Countries and ASEAN (60 per cent), she said.
Herediawa emphasized that the lack of free movement of goods and services across borders increases the costs of trade, complicate logistics and discourages businesses from expanding regionally.
She said the lack of a seamless trading environment is particularly harmful to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) that are essential to Africa's economic growth.
“Small businesses, particularly small businesses in sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, are fighting the high costs and inefficiencies caused by visa requirements, customs regulations and other bureaucratic hurdles.
“Inaccess to local markets limits the growth potential of these businesses and hampers efforts to create competitive local industries that can promote job creation and economic development. Strict visa policy hampers the movement of workers needed to curb labor movement and support industry growth. This affects the mobility of skilled labor, exacerbating the industrialization dilemma in Africa, and Africa “The AFCFTA's goal of pushing intra-African trade to 50% by 2030 will be at risk unless these barriers are addressed,” she lamented.
To overcome these challenges, she proposed the need for African countries to prioritize simplification of visa policies, harmonization of border regulations, and investment in trade-intensive infrastructure.
Africa's future lies in its ability to break down the barriers that divide people and cultivate a shared sense of destiny, she said. “Africa can then truly realize its potential as a global economic powerhouse and its beacon of global unity,” she declared.
Nier Nier, Senior Research Fellow Dr. Nicholas Elame, noted that colonial heritage, economic concerns and geopolitical interests played a key role in defining the boundaries that exist on the African continent today. did.
According to him, the boundaries that define modern Africa can be traced back to a variety of political and economic contexts, particularly during the colonial period.
He said: “The boundaries ultimately institutionalized under Articles 24 and 27 of the UN Charter dealing with national sovereignty were the result of complex negotiations and colonial imposition.
“These boundaries were initially drawn out by European powers, but were maintained even after Africa gained independence in the mid-20th century.”
He explained that these boundaries are maintained due to trade and economic concerns, protection of national sovereignty, fear of political interference, issues of anxiety and the refugee crisis.
However, he saw the benefits of a unified economic bloc, not only would African countries place continents more favorably in world trade, but not only would they reduce the double standards often imposed by Western powers. I pointed out that it was starting.
This would allow the continent to negotiate with the world as a single entity rather than as a collection of individual countries.
Dr. Erameh mentioned the Economic Community (ECOWAS) protocol of the West African States on Free Mobility of People (ECOWAS) Protocol as an example of Africa's efforts to promote regional integration, but bureaucratic bottlenecks and practices The protocol has not been fully realized due to the failure of the company. True freedom of movement within the region.
He said that the African Visa Requirements Policy will allow citizens to travel freely across the continent, improve trade relations, reduce human trafficking, and promote stronger relationships between people. Was proposed.
He also argued that it would help address the continent's pressing issues, including rebellions, economic stagnation, slow development of trade, illegal migration, human trafficking and the spread of arms.
He addresses the issue of overreliance on foreign powers, saying that some African countries, particularly French-speaking countries, often remain closely linked with France, in order to undermine their own interests. He added that it will help.
He argued that a more unified Africa would help reduce this dependency and allow the continent to pursue policies that are more consistent with the development goals.
While acknowledging the challenges associated with achieving visa-free Africa, such as political resistance and logistical difficulties, he says that these challenges should not prevent African leaders from moving forward with integration efforts. He insisted.
Dr. Erameh is a collaborative approach to building political will among African leaders, developing clear strategies for implementing integration policies, and creating a comprehensive, people-centered approach to African integration. I sought effort.
