Africa Marks 10 Years of Visa Openness Drive, Calls for Faster Free Movement

Opening the dialogue, Nnenna Nwabufo, AfDB Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, emphasized that open visa policies play a catalytic role in stimulating economic activity.

Africa’s push to enable the easier movement of people took centre stage on 12 December 2025 as private sector leaders, civil society groups, policymakers and development partners met in Abidjan for a major policy dialogue hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union Commission (AUC).

The event marked 10 years of the Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI)—the continent’s leading barometer assessing how accessible African countries are to African travellers. Since its launch in 2016, the AVOI has become a cornerstone tool in shaping Africa’s regional integration agenda.

Participants examined how greater mobility can advance trade, job creation, investment, and intra-African tourism, and why progress toward a continent free of cross-border restrictions remains uneven.

Visa Openness: A Decade of Evidence, But Patchy Progress

Opening the dialogue, Nnenna Nwabufo, AfDB Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, emphasized that open visa policies play a catalytic role in stimulating economic activity.

“Over a decade of evidence shows that visa openness can be a deliberate development choice—strengthening trade, tourism, investment and regional confidence,” she said, urging governments to translate political commitments into visible reforms.

Participants reinforced that political will is the decisive factor. While security and administrative capacity remain legitimate concerns, speakers noted that these are often cited as reasons to delay reforms rather than challenges to be resolved.

A recurring theme was the mismatch between Africa’s stated ambitions for free movement and the daily realities faced by African citizens, business travellers, and entrepreneurs navigating restrictive entry policies.

Momentum Exists — But Must Accelerate

Ladislas Nze Bekale, Special Representative of the AUC Chairperson to Côte d’Ivoire, called for a more people-centred approach to integration, urging governments to build a genuine single African market through freer mobility.

In a virtual address, Prof Melaku Desta of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) expressed confidence that a more open Africa is achievable but cautioned that political momentum remains slow. He praised the AfDB’s AVOI @ 10 report—particularly the Africazone vision, which he described as “necessary and feasible.”

Desta called for deeper UNECA–AfDB collaboration to convert analytical insights into policy action capable of overcoming political inertia. He also highlighted a worrying gap: only four AU member states have ratified the AU Protocol on Free Movement of Persons eight years after its adoption.

A Pledge to Move Forward—Signed by Stakeholders

Dr Joy Kategekwa, Director of the AfDB’s Regional Integration Coordination Office, acknowledged important gains over the decade but said the pace does not meet Africa’s ambitions.

During the session, participants signed a symbolic wall of commitment representing their pledge to work toward a visa-free Africa. “This is where the next chapter begins. It starts with you,” Kategekwa said.

2025 AVOI Report Launched in Cape Town

The 2025 Africa Visa Openness Index report was officially launched on 18 December during the Ninth Pan-African Forum on Migration in Cape Town. AfDB officials reiterated that mobility is the engine of African integration, powering trade, investment, skills transfer and intra-African opportunity.

Key findings include:

• Continental average visa openness score rose to 0.448.

• The top 10 most open countries averaged 0.890, and the top 20 averaged 0.781, highlighting strong reform potential.

• Visa-free travel increased from 20% in 2016 to 28% in 2025, enabling millions more to move for business, education, tourism and family reasons.

• E-visa availability expanded from 9 countries in 2016 to 31 in 2025, signalling digital progress.

• However, visa-on-arrival access dropped from 28% in 2020 to 20% in 2025.

• Pre-travel visa requirements eased only slightly from 55% to 51%.

Reform Leaders and Rising Performers

Several countries recorded notable improvements in 2025, including:

• Kenya, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, DRC, Botswana, Mali, Egypt, and Tanzania

Over the decade, Rwanda and The Gambia became fully visa-open countries, with Kenya, Ghana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi also posting substantial gains. These reforms reflect a continent inching closer to its free movement aspirations.

Toward a Borderless Africa

Stakeholders agreed that Africa’s future prosperity hinges on greater mobility, supported by consistent political leadership, strong institutions, and modernized border systems. As the AVOI enters its second decade, the call is clear: Africa must turn vision into action to unlock the full potential of regional integration and continental unity.