Sierra Leone Telegraph: 11 February 2025:
The fact that Africans still require visas to enter most African countries, remains one of the starkest contradictions to the continent’s aspirations for regional integration.
In this ninth edition of the Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union Commission (AUC) present a mixed set of findings on Africa’s progress toward greater mobility.
The AVOI assesses how open African countries are to travelers from other African nations by analyzing visa requirements. It evaluates:
- The number of African countries whose citizens must obtain a visa before traveling.
- The number of countries whose citizens can obtain a visa on arrival.
- The number of countries whose citizens can enter visa-free.
Each country is assigned an AVOI score and ranked accordingly.
Data for this year’s edition was collected between July and August 2024, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) serving as the primary data source, as in previous editions.
On the sidelines of the 38th AU Summit taking place tomorrow 12 February 2025, in the Marriott Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at 08:30hr – 17:00 hr. UTC +2 (SAST), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) will be co-hosting a High-Level Strategic Dialogue on Accelerating Visa-Free Movement for Africa’s Transformation.
Free movement of people across the continent is fundamental to Africa’s economic integration, as outlined in the Abuja Treaty, AU Agenda 2063, and the AU Protocol on Free Movement of People.
However, despite strong policy commitments, implementation remains uneven.
The Africa Visa Openness Index—a joint initiative of AfDB and AUC tracks progress in facilitating visa-free travel. The ninth edition of the Index highlights the urgent need for decisive action to unlock Africa’s economic potential through enhanced mobility.
Tomorrow’s high-level dialogue will leverage the AU Summit to advance regional integration by showcasing successful visa-free policies, addressing implementation challenges, and fostering commitments from policymakers, businesses, and regional institutions.
The dialogue will convene high-ranking officials, including Ministers from African Union (AU) Member States, representatives from Regional Economic Communities (RECs), senior government officials, private sector leaders, think tanks, academics, and development partners.
Key speakers include:
Ambassador Cessouma Minata Samate, AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development; Nnenna Nwabufo, Vice President for Regional Development, Integration, and Business Delivery, AfDB; H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
Ministers from Rwanda, The Gambia, Seychelles, Benin, and Ghana; Business leaders from Afrochampions, Ethiopian Airlines, AeTrade Group, and TradeMark Africa.
This high-level dialogue is of strategic importance as Africa continues to advance regional integration efforts, particularly through visa-free movement policies that facilitate trade, economic growth, and development. Key topics to be covered include:
Highlighting the benefits of visa-free movement by showcasing positive experiences from countries leading the Africa Visa Openness Index.
The Role of Regional Economic Communities by examining how REC frameworks support free movement and economic prosperity.
Private Sector Perspectives by understanding how visa openness impacts trade, investment, and business expansion.
Policy Insights – Discussing the alignment of visa-free movement with AU Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Next Steps: Introducing the 2025 Visa-Free Roadshow as part of a broader campaign to drive policy action.
Click on the link below to read the Report:
https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/44401-doc-2024_AVOI_final_R3_20nov24_2_1.pdf
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