Visa-free travel in Africa up by 8% in 2025

Visa-free travel was up minimally by 8% in 2025, enabling millions more Africans to travel for business, tourism, family, and education, according to the 10th edition of the Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI).

The AVOI report, which was launched on Thursday at the Ninth Pan-African Forum on Migration in Cape Town, South Africa, revealed that visa-free travel increased from 20% in 2016 to 28% in 2025.

The report measures the extent to which African countries are open to visitors from other African countries. It analyses each country’s visa requirements to show which African countries most facilitate travel to their territory.

For each country, the AVOI calculates the number of African countries whose citizens must obtain a visa before travelling there, the number of countries whose citizens may obtain a visa upon arrival, and the number of countries whose citizens can enter visa-free. Each country is then assigned an AVOI score and ranked accordingly.

First published in 2016, it also tracks changes in countries’ scores over time. The report analyses these trends in light of other developments in Africa and in the world.

Data for this year’s edition was collected in July and August 2025. As is the case with all previous editions, the main source of data and information was the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The report says countries averaged 0.890, while the top twenty reached 0.781, underscoring both reform potential and the urgency for lagging states while E‑visa availability grew from nine countries in 2016 to 31 today, reflecting digitalisation and improved border management.

It also disclosed that visa‑on‑arrival access declined from 28% in 2020 to 20% in 2025, and pre-travel visa requirements eased only slightly from 55% to 51%.

“Countries recording notable improvements this year include Kenya, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, DRC, Botswana, Mali, Egypt, and Tanzania,” the report said.

“Over the decade, Rwanda and The Gambia achieved full openness, with Kenya, Ghana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi also making significant gains. These reforms reflect a continent gradually aligning with its free movement agenda.”

Who says what

Speaking at a meeting convened in Abidjan by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union Commission (AUC) to mark this year’s edition of the report, AfDB’s Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Nnenna Nwabufo noted that open visa policies help boost trade, tourism and investment and urged governments to turn political commitments into action.

“Over a decade of evidence shows that visa openness can be a deliberate development choice, strengthening trade, tourism, investment, and regional confidence,” she added.

Similarly, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AUC to Cote D’Ivoire, Ladislas Nze Bekale said progress over the past decade shows change is possible, but urged faster action. He called on governments to move toward a people-centred single African market.

In a virtual address, Prof Melaku Desta of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said the vision of a more open Africa is realistic, but political momentum is slow.