Africa Visa Openness Index 2023: Continent Advances in Enhancing Cross-Border Travel, Boosting Trade, and Integration

The Africa Visa Openness Index 2023, recently published by the African Development Bank Group, indicates significant progress in visa openness policies across the continent. This positive trend bodes well for cross-border travel, ease of movement, and trade in 2024 and beyond. The index measures the extent to which African countries are open to visitors from other African countries, and in 2023, it achieved its highest score ever, surpassing levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a record number of countries improving their scores, the findings point to a more integrated Africa, fostering not only seamless travel but also contributing significantly to trade, investment, and shared prosperity. In this context, the report’s key insights, ranging from champion countries to the impact on regional economic communities and the African Continental Free Trade Area, shed light on the positive trajectory of continental integration and collaborative development in Africa.

Key findings from the report include:

• Improvements in Visa Openness:
  • In 2023, 50 countries improved or maintained their 2022 score, with only 4 countries scoring lower.
  • Since the first report in 2016, 36 countries have improved their score on the index.
• Champion Countries:
  • Four countries — Rwanda, Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles — have eliminated all visa requirements for African travellers.
  • Rwanda emerged as a new champion in 2023 by dropping visa requirements for citizens from all African countries.
• E-Visas:
  • 24 countries now offer an e-visa, almost three times as many as in 2016.
• Regional Performance:
  • West African countries continue to lead the rankings, with 7 of the top 10 performers in West Africa.
• Regional Economic Communities (RECs):
  • Average visa openness improved in 6 of the 8 RECs over the past year.
  • The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recorded the highest average regional AVOI score.
• Visa-Free Reciprocity:
  • ECOWAS also records the highest visa-free reciprocity rate, with citizens able to enter another country within the same REC without a visa in 97% of travel scenarios.
• Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA):
  • Further progress on visa openness is crucial for the success of the AfCFTA, as the movement of people is integral to the integration of the continent.

Recommendations and Solutions: The report suggests several recommendations for sustained progress, including implementing outstanding commitments on visa-free movement within regional economic communities, extending visa-free travel policies to all AU member states, and streamlining visa procedures.

Impact: Liberalizing visa policies is not only essential for facilitating seamless travel but also for enhancing trade in goods and services, cross-border investment, and shared prosperity. The momentum in visa liberalization is seen as crucial for realizing the vision of the ‘Africa We Want.’

Conclusion: The report concludes that Africa’s flourishing trade in goods is intricately linked to the liberalization of trade in services, both of which rely on the smooth movement of people across African borders without excessive bureaucratic hurdles. The progress in visa openness is viewed as a positive step toward realizing the full potential of continental integration in Africa.

Find out more on visaopenness.org