AfDB, AU Intensify Call for Visa-Free Africa
A renewed campaign to dismantle travel barriers across Africa is gaining momentum, as the African Development Bank Group and the African Union Commission intensify calls for visa-free movement to unlock the true promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
At a High-Level Symposium held on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, policymakers and development leaders argued that while AfCFTA has lowered tariffs and expanded market access, Africa’s economic integration remains incomplete without the free movement of its people. For many, mobility is the missing pillar of continental trade reform.
AfDB’s Director-General for Eastern Africa, Alex Mubiru, underscored the economic case for openness, urging governments to move beyond cautious reforms and embrace transformative visa liberalisation. According to participants, easing travel restrictions would stimulate cross-border commerce, boost tourism, enhance labour mobility and strengthen regional value chains — key ingredients for turning AfCFTA into a fully operational single market.
AU Commissioner Amma A. Twum-Amoah described visa openness as a strategic lever for deepening intra-African markets and enhancing collective resilience. Beyond political will, leaders stressed the importance of harmonised migration frameworks, interoperable digital identity systems and modernised border infrastructure to ensure that visa-free travel is secure, efficient and scalable.
Former AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma reiterated that free movement is central to the continent’s long-term blueprint, Agenda 2063, urging faster implementation of the African Passport and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons.
The latest Africa Visa Openness Index presented at the symposium reveals that more than half of African travellers still require visas to enter other African countries — a barrier seen as incompatible with the vision of seamless continental trade. Delegates also highlighted the need to fully operationalise the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to complement visa reforms with improved air connectivity.
As global economic pressures mount, African institutions are betting that freer movement across borders could be the catalyst that propels AfCFTA from policy ambition to economic reality — forging a more competitive, integrated and prosperous continent
