United Africa: Not yet Uhuru for free movement of persons, trade

Continental integration in Africa may remain far-fetched as only five countries provide 100 per cent visa-free intra-travel access. While 28 per cent of intra-Africa travel is visa-free for Africans, 25 per cent of intra-African travel offers only visa-on-arrival options. This scenario shows that it is not yet a free pass for continental bonding, NGOZI EGENUKA reports.

The dream of a united Africa seems like an illusion as many African countries still apply restrictive visa policies for intra-African travels, a development which poses significant barrier to regional integration across many African nations.

Only five out of the 54 African countries, with Ghana being the latest, have fully opened their borders to all other African citizens, while 49 countries still require some form of visa.

This stark reality raises serious concerns about the viability of achieving a united Africa with free movement for its people and an integrated economy, as outlined in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and Agenda 2063.

Recent statistics on Africa’s visa policies on African Visa Openness Index (AVOI) 2024 show that Africans do not need a visa for only 28 per cent of intra-Africa travels.

In calculating each country’s score, the AVOI assessed the visa policy that each country applies to citizens of the other 53 countries on the continent and classified each policy in one of three categories.

The visa categories are (visa before travel, visa on arrival and visa-free).

The progress of the past few years in easing travel between African nations has been insufficient.

While 25 per cent of intra-African travels offer only a visa-on-arrival option, 47 per cent of African countries still require a visa before travel within the continent. Visa free access represents only 9.3 per cent of the entire 54 countries.

Regardless, there has been some progress over the last few years, with 39 countries showing an improvement in their scores since 2016. However, the overall score for visa openness has only slightly increased, and the continent remains largely fragmented in terms of mobility.

As of 2024, 43 countries required citizens from at least one other country on the continent to obtain a visa ahead of travel, and 26 countries offer visitors an e-visa in 2024.

Twenty seven countries offer a visa on arrival to citizens of at least one other African country as against 30 in 2023. This drop was due to the adoption of e-visa processes in Burkina Faso, Togo and Chad, while 48 countries currently offer visa-free entry privileges to the citizens of at least one other African country.

The countries at the top of the AVOI rankings include Benin Republic, The Gambia, Rwanda, and Seychelles, which offer visa-free access to all other African nations.

These countries are often hailed as shiny examples of how Africa can improve intra-regional mobility, yet they remain the exception rather than the rule.

On the other hand, larger economies like Ghana and Nigeria, ranked fifth and sixth respectively, alongside Cape Verde (also ranked sixth), still impose visa restrictions on many African travelers.

This inconsistency in visa policies hampers the goal of a truly united and integrated continent.

At the bottom of the ranking are Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Sudan, ranked 51, 52, 52 and 54th respectively.

Over the past eight years, five countries have had the most improved scores on the AVOI: Benin moved from 31 to 1; Ethiopia from 46 to 19; Sierra Leone from 32 to 13; Nigeria from 25 to 6, and The Gambia from 18 to 1.

This report has led countries like Ghana and Kenya to review their visa policies. For instance, Ghana just announced that it would now allow visa-free entry to citizens of all African countries, making it the fifth African country to open its borders to all holders of African passports.

Kenya on its part said the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) that it implemented last year, would be dropped for all African countries except Somalia and Libya, owing to security concerns.

The visa policies in Africa can be contrasted with those in the West, where the free movement of people and goods is a key feature of regional cooperation.

In the European Union for example, citizens of member states can travel freely within the Schengen Area, and even non-EU residents can enter many countries without a visa.

Similarly, the United States and Canada have reciprocal agreements with neighboring countries, facilitating travel and trade across their borders.

Africa’s limited mobility also stands in contrast to the ease with which citizens of Western countries travel to it. A British passport, for example, allows visa-free access to 154 countries and territories, while a Nigerian passport offers 28 countries, a much more limited travel freedom.

This disparity in travel privileges not only affects trade, but also impedes cultural exchanges and opportunities for Africans to connect and collaborate on a broader scale.

There are thoughts that these travel restrictions within Africa could be an effort to stem insecurity and terrorism, which is active on the continent.

There is also the valid possibility that it is a revenue generating scheme for those countries that impose the restrictions.

For a development strategist, Magnus Onyibe, the lack of trust in Africa and historical baggage continue to influence visa policies, adding that fears of economic migration, especially in cases of economic hardship, have led to restrictive policies.

He explained that in the 1980s, Ghanaian migrants in Nigeria faced backlash during a period of economic downturn, illustrating how economic pressures often hobble free movement.

Onyibe, however, said that free movement of people, goods and services would be beneficial to the continent as observed in other climes, which have recorded greater development owing to ease of access.

A Senior Research Fellow, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Dr Adesuwa Erediauwa, said that the lack of fluid borders and the persistence of restrictive visa policies undermine the principles of pan-Africanism and hinder the continent’s ability to work together toward shared prosperity.

She said that the rigid visa policies across much of Africa are not only a challenge to personal freedom of movement, but also to the broader goals of economic cooperation and regional integration.

“The AfCFTA, which aims to boost intra-African trade, faces significant obstacles due to these restrictions. At present, intra-African trade accounts for only 18 per cent of the continent’s total trade, a number far behind other regions like the European Union (68 per cent) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN (60 per cent),” she said.

Erediauwa emphasised that the lack of free movement of goods and services across borders increases the cost of trade, complicates logistics, and discourages businesses from expanding regionally.

According to her, the absence of a seamless trading environment is particularly detrimental to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are crucial to Africa’s economic growth.

“SMEs, especially those in sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, struggle with the high costs and inefficiencies caused by visa requirements, customs regulations, and other bureaucratic hurdles.

“The inability to access regional markets limits the growth potential of these businesses and hinders efforts to create competitive regional industries that can drive job creation and economic development. Rigid visa policies stifle labour mobility, preventing the movement of workers needed to support industrial growth. This affects the mobility of skilled labour and aggravates Africa’s industrialisation dilemma, slowing Africa’s economic development. AfCFTA’s goal of pushing intra-African trade to 50 per cent by 2030 is jeopardised unless these barriers are addressed,” she lamented.

To overcome these challenges, she suggested the need for African countries to prioritise simplifying visa policies, harmonising border regulations, and investing in trade-enhancing infrastructure.

The future of Africa, she said, lies in its ability to break down barriers that divide its people and foster a sense of shared destiny. “Only then can Africa truly realise its potential as a global economic powerhouse and a beacon of unity for the world,” she declared.

A Senior Research Fellow, NIIA, Dr. Nicholas Erameh, noted that colonial legacies, economic concerns, and geopolitical interests played significant roles in defining the boundaries that exist on the African continent today.

According to him, the boundaries that define modern Africa can be traced back to different political and economic contexts, especially during the colonial period.

His words: “The boundaries that eventually became institutionalised under Article 24 and 27 of the United Nations Charter, which addresses state sovereignty, were the result of complex negotiations and colonial impositions.

“These boundaries, though initially drawn by European powers, were maintained even after Africa gained independence in the mid-20th century.”

He explained that these boundaries have been maintained due to trade and economic concerns, protection of national sovereignty, fear of political interference, issues of insecurity and refugee crisis.

He, however, pointed out that African nations are starting to see the advantages of a united economic bloc, which would not only position the continent more favourably in global trade, but also reduce the double standards often imposed by Western powers.

This, he said, would allow the continent to negotiate with the world as a single entity rather than a collection of individual nations.

Dr Erameh referred to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on the free movement of people as an example of Africa’s efforts to promote regional integration, but stated that the protocol has not been fully realised, with bureaucratic bottlenecks and practical obstacles preventing true freedom of movement within the region.

He suggested that a no visa requirement policy in Africa would allow citizens to travel freely across the continent, improve trade relations, reduce human trafficking, and promote stronger people-to-people ties.

He also argued that it would help address the continent’s pressing issues, such as insurgency, economic stagnation, slow trade and development, illegal migration, human trafficking and weapons proliferation.

He added that it would help address the issue of over-dependence on foreign powers, stating that some African nations, especially those in the francophone region, remain closely tied to France, often to the detriment of their own national interests.

A more united Africa, he argued, would help reduce this dependency and allow the continent to pursue policies that are more aligned with its development goals.

While acknowledging challenges involved in achieving a visa-free Africa, like political resistance and logistical difficulties, he argued that these challenges should not deter African leaders from moving forward with integration efforts.

Dr Erameh called for a concerted effort to build political will among African leaders, develop a clear strategy for implementing integration policies and create a comprehensive, people-centred approach to African integration.