West Africa Dominates List Of Countries Offering Easy Entry To All Africans

West Africa has emerged as a dominant region in facilitating easy entry for African travellers, according to the latest Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI) report.

The report shows that eight of the top 20 countries offering the most liberal visa policies are located in West Africa. This includes Benin, The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

Benin, and The Gambia are among the four African nations that offer visa-free access to citizens of all African countries, alongside Rwanda in East Africa and Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. However, challenges remain, as the report indicated that 29 African nations require visas ahead of travel for citizens from at least half the countries on the continent.

But the liberal visa policies of  most West African Countries shows an easy entry for African travellers and marks a point of this part of the continent to realising the full potential of intra-African trade and cooperation. This also align with the vision of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to promote the free movement of people, goods, and services.

Dr Joy Kategekwa Director, Regional Integration, African Development Bank Group noted that,  “Africans continue to require visas for the most part to enter other African countries is one of the most profound contradictions to the continent’s aspirations on regional integration. One thing is clear – Africa will not meet its development aspirations in the absence of regimes that promote mobility across the continent.”

Earlier, it was reported that the Abidjan-Lagos transnational coastal highway project of 1,028 kilometres has reached its final planning stage, with construction set to begin in 2026 and completion expected by 2030.

This infrastructure initiative aims to enhance economic integration and industrial development across West Africa, connecting Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria via Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the project attracted $15.6 billion in investment commitments with agreements also been finalised to establish a governing Authority for managing the corridor.

In the same vein, Ghana recently commissioned the 97-kilometre Tema-Mpakadan railway line, a transformative infrastructure project that marks the first phase of the Ghana-Burkina Faso Interconnectivity Project.

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Joy Chukwu

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