Calls for a visa-free continent have dominated discussions at the 38th African Union Summit, with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) urging governments to fast-track the removal of such restrictions that hinder regional integration, trade and economic growth.
AU officials, policymakers and business leaders highlighted the contradiction between Africa’s regional integration goals and the reality that many Africans still need visas to travel across the continent.
"We cannot talk about a united Africa if Africans themselves cannot move freely within their own continent. It is time for our governments to evaluate what has worked and what has not worked," said Ambassador Albert Mudenda Muchanga, African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals.
He said that visa restrictions remain one of the biggest barriers to intra-African trade.
The Africa Visa Openness Index, a joint initiative by AfDB and the AUC, has consistently shown slow progress in easing travel restrictions, despite policy frameworks such as the AU Free Movement Protocol and Agenda 2063’s vision of a borderless Africa.
The ninth edition of the index shows that while some countries, such as Rwanda, Gambia, Seychelles, Benin, and Ghana, have embraced visa-free policies, many remain restrictive.
"The vision of an integrated Africa will not happen by chance. It requires bold leadership and collective commitment to dismantle visa barriers,” said Nnenna Nwabufo, Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery at AfDB.
With more than 50 percent of African nations requiring visas for Africans, restricted mobility hampers labour movement, business and trade, skills, and innovation, slowing development.
“If we truly believe in the AfCFTA, then free movement must be the backbone of our integration. We must align trade facilitation with mobility—because goods do not move themselves; people move them," said Prudence Sebahizi, Rwanda's Minister of Trade and Industry.
With the momentum building for change, the AU and AfDB announced the launch of the 2025 Visa-Free Roadshow, a campaign designed to engage policymakers, businesses, and civil society in accelerating visa liberalisation efforts across the continent.
The initiative aims to showcase success stories, highlight economic benefits, and push for political commitments to break down travel barriers.
Former Kenya prime minister Raila Odinga, one of the candidates for the African Union Commission chairmanship, has envisioned a visa-free continent as one of his priority areas should he get elected on Saturday.
Mr Odinga says he aspires to enhance intra-African trade, noting that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a transformative opportunity to establish a common market and boost intra-African trade.
“Currently, intra-African trade is paltry, the lowest among other continents, hindering our economic independence, and interdependence. I will advocate for open skies, visa policy harmonization, and infrastructure development to facilitate seamless connectivity and movement of goods, and peoples across Africa,” said Mr Odinga.
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