African Union Proposes Removal of Visa Requirements

A recent AU report on African visa openness found that many African countries still require visas for other African citizens. Flickr.

The African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 proposes the removal of visa requirements for African citizens to permit visa-free travel to all African countries by the end of 2018.

Despite the Union’s ambitious year-end goal, intracontinental travel for Africans remains difficult. Quartz notes that Seychelles and Benin are currently the only two countries offering visa-free travel to all African citizens, while citizens looking to travel to the remaining 52 countries still face hefty visa fees, confusing online applications, and other bureaucratic obstacles. A recent AU report on African visa openness found that many African countries still require visas for other African citizens. In contrast, North Americans only need a visa to travel to 45 percent of countries and do not need a visa to travel to 20 percent of countries, according to Quartz.

Many countries have taken individual steps to reduce barriers to free movement. Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya, and Namibia issue visas on arrival to all African citizens. Despite these improvements, citizens of countries like South Sudan and Burundi must obtain visas prior to traveling in order to visit 47 countries.

Some have looked to regional blocs to lead the way towards a more integrated Africa. However, the majority of regional unions are not borderless. Quartz notes that citizens of member states within regional unions must go through the same bureaucratic process as non-member citizens when it comes to intra-regional travel. The only regional union that allows for visa-free travel is the Economic Community of West Africa.  

Reducing visa requirements for African citizens is only the first step towards further  regional integration. Other barriers thwarting inter-regional travel include the lack of available, low-cost flights. One flight from Kenya to Namibia costs as much as a flight from Kenya to Thailand, reported BBC. As a result, African nationals have opted against inter-regional travel.

Recently, several African states took a major step in easing air travel. On January 28, 23 African signatories launched the African Union’s Single African Air Transport Market Initiative, reported CNN. This project is meant to reduce airplane ticket prices and create more frequent, direct flights between African countries without layovers in the Middle East or Europe. “Greater connectivity will lead to greater prosperity,” said Rapahel Kuuchi, Vice President for Africa at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in a recent statement.

An internal IATA study found that even if only 12 African countries increased their connectivity, it could lead to the creation of 155,000 jobs and an increase in annual GDP of $1.3 billion.

Although the promise of a visa-free Africa by the end of this year seems out of reach, many African states are taking the necessary steps to reduce travel barriers. The dream of a visa-free Africa may soon become a reality.