Visa openness needed to boost trade, tourism - AfDB Veep

Dr. Khaled F. Sherif, Vice-President, Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has called on African countries to liberalize their visa regimes to encourage more intra-Africa trade and tourism and to reposition the continent for future growth

According to the 2020 Africa Visa Openness Index recently published by the African Union Commission and African Development Bank, more countries on the continent are liberalizing their visa regimes and welcoming African travelers.

The 2020 Index shows that a record 54% of the continent is accessible for African visitors, who no longer need visas to travel or can get one on arrival, up by 9% since 2016.

In 2020, The Gambia joins Seychelles and Benin in allowing visa-free access for all African travelers. In addition, 20 countries moved upwards in rank on the Index, while 50 countries improved or maintained their scores. The report shows a significant rise in e-Visas, offered by 24 countries in Africa.

Notwithstanding the gains made, findings show that African citizens still need visas to travel to 46% of African countries. Countries in East and West Africa rank highest among the top performers, worthy of emulation by countries in the other regions.

The Index’s findings reinforce the benefits of prioritizing visa openness solutions in large and small economies, with the biggest gains accruing to business, investment, innovation and tourism.

Additionally, Further facilitating the free movement of people, goods and services, becomes even more important with the start of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on 1 January 2021.

Dr. Khaled F. Sherif said: “As the evolving fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, countries increasingly need to look beyond domestic frontiers to boost their economic prospects. Visa openness will support Africa to reposition its future growth.”

As close to half of African destinations ease travel restrictions in line with plans to manage the pandemic, travel safety and security remain foremost in policymakers’ and people’s minds as it concerns opening up of borders, and as governments update measures for permitting travel.

As African destinations ease travel restrictions, Amb. Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission, notes that: “As the time has come to safely reopen and revive economies across Africa, it is imperative to institute measures that propel the continent and all its citizens forward. Liberalizing a country’s visa regime is a policy tool that can be quickly adopted to do this.”

The Africa Visa Openness Index measures the extent to which African countries are open to travelers from other African countries when it comes to visas by looking at what they ask of the citizens when they travel into their countries.

The Index is tracking changes in country scores over time to show which countries are making improvements that support people’s freer movement across Africa.