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African countries have long been pressured to open their borders to visitors, and many countries have done so to boost tourism and foster global trade.
Passport holders from the US, UK, Europe and increasingly China can often show up at the borders of many African countries and pay a reasonable fee with no paperwork and minimal fuss to enter, in some countries like South Africa there is no fee at all.
But the problem has often been that many African countries have not been so welcoming to other Africans.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has become obsessed with this by creating the Visa Opening Index to put some data behind what most Africans know: it is incredibly difficult to get around your own continent. Even after overcoming the sometimes exorbitant amounts, inconvenient travel routes, and lack of options, then you have to deal with your African neighbors asking for onerous visa documents or fees to pay a visit.
The good thing about the Visa Opening Index is that, by keeping track, more African leaders are forced to pay attention to an issue that has little interest in national politics, but which can give them some additional credibility on the African stage. And in the four years that have passed, there has been a trend, sorry for the pun, openness.
This year, 20 countries advanced further on the index and since 2016 almost all countries (93%) have improved or maintained their index scores, which is calculated by looking at whether an African visitor to another country needs to obtain a visa in their country of origin before travel; you have the option of obtaining a visa on arrival; or you can visit without a visa.
Seychelles, Gambia, and Benin topped the index as countries offering completely visa-free access to all African passport holders.
Now Africans do not need a visa to travel to 26% of the countries on the continent and most of it comes from sub-regional agreements such as in the East African Community and the ECOWAS states in West Africa. About 28% of Africans can obtain a visa upon arrival. But almost half of African passport holders still need to obtain visas before traveling.
It’s not just about bragging about the right to go up an index, it’s also about the need for African governments to at least align with the spirit of what they are expected to practice with the official implementation of the Continental Free Trade Agreement. from Africa. next year. In simple terms, according to the agreement, African countries will be able to trade goods and services without tariffs with each other.
As the AfDB says in its report: “Allowing freedom of movement will mean that African investors and entrepreneurs, including young people, will be able to access information, skills and technology to take advantage of these opportunities.”
