Host of this year’s African Development Bank Group’s 2026 Annual Meetings, President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, has announced that the country would waive visa requirements for all African nationals from next year.

Making this announcement on Africa Day marks another significant step towards continental integration and drew applause from thousands of delegates attending the meetings taking place at the Kintele Conference Centre in Brazzaville.

This move is coming just after Togo last week, in a bid to accelerate intra-African trade and movement, announced visa-free access to all Africans from next month.

The commemoration brought together African heads of states and governments, ministers, diplomats, investors, development partners, civil society representatives, youth leaders, and private-sector stakeholders united around Africa’s regional integration and transformation agenda.

Observed yearly on May 25, Africa Day commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa in 1963, which later evolved into the African Union. This year’s celebration is aligned with the African Union’s 2026 theme, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063.”
MEANWHILE, Ghana is opening its doors wider to Africa at a time when many countries across the world are tightening immigration rules.

The West African nation has officially launched a new electronic visa platform while also removing visa fees for African travellers visiting for business and tourism.

President John Dramani Mahama unveiled the new e-visa system on Monday as part of a broader strategy to position Ghana as one of Africa’s leading hubs for tourism, investment, aviation and regional trade.

The digital visa platform aims to reduce delays, eliminate lengthy embassy procedures and make travel into Ghana faster and easier for visitors across the continent.