AfDB and AU officials say restrictive border regimes are choking intra-African trade, investment and labour mobility despite continental integration goals….
African policymakers and development institutions have intensified calls for visa-free travel across the continent, arguing that the free movement of people is critical to unlocking the economic promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The renewed push came during a high-level symposium co-convened by the African Development Bank Group and the African Union Commission on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
Participants warned that restrictive visa policies remain one of the most significant barriers to intra-African trade, services expansion, tourism growth, cross-border investment and labour mobility — all central pillars of continental integration.
A continent still divided by visas
Data presented at the forum underscored the scale of the challenge.
According to the AfDB, only five African countries Seychelles, Mozambique, Rwanda, Comoros and Madagascar currently offer visa-free entry or visas on arrival to citizens of all African countries.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe and Sudan require visas from citizens of every African country.
On average, Africans need visas to travel to about 60 per cent of countries on the continent. The figure climbs as high as 84 per cent for travellers holding Somali passports, while citizens of The Gambia face visa requirements in 41 per cent of African states.
‘The economics support openness’
Alex Mubiru, Director-General for Eastern Africa at the AfDB, said visa liberalisation alongside interoperable digital systems and integrated markets represents a practical tool for turning policy aspirations into real economic outcomes.
“The evidence is clear. The economics support openness. The human story demands it,” he told delegates, urging governments to move beyond incremental reforms toward transformative change.
Amma Twum-Amoah, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development at the AU Commission, described visa openness as a strategic lever for deepening regional markets and strengthening collective responses to economic and humanitarian shocks.
Former AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma reinforced the message, linking free movement directly to the African Union’s long-term development blueprint, Agenda 2063.
“If we accept that we are Africans, then we must be able to move freely across our continent,” she said, calling on member states to operationalise initiatives such as the African Passport and the Free Movement of Persons Protocol.
Lessons from early adopters
Ghana’s Trade and Industry Minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, shared her country’s experience with liberalised visa policies for African travellers, citing increased business travel, tourism flows and growing investor interest as early benefits.
The symposium also examined findings from the latest Africa Visa Openness Index, which shows that more than half of intra-African travel still requires visas obtained before departure, a constraint participants said continues to dampen cross-border commerce.
Mesfin Bekele, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, argued that aviation connectivity and visa reforms must progress simultaneously. He called for full implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market to enable seamless travel across regions.
Regional leaders, including Elias Magosi of the Southern Africa Development Community, emphasised the need for stronger border management systems and digital information-sharing frameworks to build trust among member states.
Gabby Darko, Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network, urged governments to back the “Make Africa Borderless Now” campaign, while tourism advocate Ras Mubarak pressed for wider ratification of the AU Free Movement of Persons Protocol.
From symbolism to implementation
In a symbolic gesture at the close of the symposium, participants signed a “passport wall” to signal support for accelerating reforms that would ease movement across African borders.
However, speakers stressed that symbolism must translate into policy execution. Achieving a visa-free Africa, they said, will require aligning migration policies, investing in digital identity systems and upgrading border infrastructure backed by sustained political will.
The AfDB and AU Commission pledged to continue working with member states and regional bodies to advance coordinated mobility frameworks, describing free movement not merely as a travel issue, but as a cornerstone of Africa’s competitiveness, integration and long-term economic transformation.
About the Author
