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African News
globalreutersJanuary 29, 20252 Mins read
The Growing List of African Countries Opening Their Borders with Visa-Free Travel
globalreutersJanuary 29, 20252 Mins read 
Can you travel to Rwanda, Seychelles, The Gambia, and Benin without worrying about a visa Absolutely! These countries offer visa-free entry, making travel within Africa much easier. But what about Ghana That’s a yes too! The Ghanaian government, under President Nana Akufo-Addo, has approved a new visa-free policy, set to take effect by early 2025.
And Kenya Another big yes! In fact, Kenya recently announced a new directive allowing visa-free entry for citizens of nearly all African countries. This open-border policy aims to boost tourism, promote regional integration, facilitate cross-border trade, and support open-skies agreements—just like the initiatives adopted by several other African nations.
While these changes mark significant progress, many African countries still impose strict visa requirements on fellow African nations. This has long hindered free movement, economic collaboration, and deeper integration across the continent. The African Development Bank (AfDB) has described this restriction as one of the biggest contradictions to Africa’s regional integration goals.
AfDB Vice President Nnenna Lily Nwabufo emphasised the need for urgent action, stating: “As we seek to advance the AfCFTA, strengthen regional value chains, and open new opportunities in the dynamic services sector, it is evident that visas, their attendant processes and high costs, are barriers we must dismantle. To achieve “The Africa We Want” as envisioned in the AU Agenda 2063, we must address these barriers with urgency and creativity.”
The good news is that some progress is being made. The Africa Visa Openness Index, which tracks how easily African citizens can travel across the continent, highlights key improvements:
- In 28% of country‑to-country travel scenarios within Africa, African citizens do not need a visa to cross the border, a marked improvement over 20% in 2016.
- In 2024, 26 African countries — 44% of the continent — offered an evisa for Africans, up from nine African countries — 17% of the continent — in 2016.
- 17 countries improved their score since last year: two are in the top 10, another three in the top 20.
- 39 countries have improved their score since 2016. Of the 10 that have most progressed, six are in West Africa, two are in East Africa, and two are in Southern Africa.
- Nine top‑20 performers are low‑income countries; three of them are landlocked. Another nine top‑20 performers are lower‑middle-income countries. Lower‑income countries continue to make progress.
Nigeria ranks 6th on the Africa Visa Openness Index, offering a mix of visa-free access and visas on arrival for many African nations. If you’re travelling to Nigeria from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Togo, you won’t need a visa. However, visitors from other African countries—including Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Egypt, Gabon, and Kenya—will require a visa on arrival.
The most visa-friendly African countries include Rwanda, Seychelles, The Gambia, and Benin, with Mauritania and Mauritius ranking 9th and 10th respectively.
So, if you’re planning to explore Africa this year, now you know which destinations will welcome you with open arms—no visa headaches included!
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