The Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI) report says 17 African countries have improved their AVOI score over the past year.
The index, a joint initiative of the African Development Bank and African Union, tracks progress in facilitating visa-free travel and measures how easily African citizens can travel within the continent without visa restrictions.
According to the latest report which was tabled for discussion on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on the sidelines of the 38th AU Summit, some 29 countries’ scores remain unchanged, while eight countries score lower in this edition.
According to the latest data, 28 percent of intra-African travel is now visa-free, an improvement from 20 percent in 2016. Additionally, 25 percent of African travelers can obtain a visa upon arrival, though this figure has slightly declined from 26 percent in 2023.
However, 47 percent of intra-African travel still requires visas before departure, stressing the need for further policy reforms.
Moreover, the edition indicated that Benin, Gambia, Rwanda and the Seychelles continue to occupy the top spot on the AVOI even this year.
Some significant and notable improvements have occurred over the past year, the edition indicated. Sierra Leone and Angola have shown the greatest increase in their AVOI score.
Sierra Leone has made significant strides in easing access to travellers, resulting in a 62 percent increase in its visa openness score, significantly changing its rank from 22nd in 2023 to 13th in 2024.
Over the period 2016 to 2024, 39 countries scored higher now than they did in 2016, a reflection of overall progress towards easing travel between African countries.
MG/as/APA