Kenyan President William Ruto announced intentions in late October to eliminate visa requirements for all African travelers by the end of 2023, with the goal of increasing trade and strengthening economic relations with other African states.
“By the end of this year, no African will need a visa to enter Kenya. The time has come to understand the importance of doing trade between us,” he said.
Rwanda followed suit this month, allowing all Africans to travel visa-free. Rwandan President Paul Kagame emphasized the importance of “We should not lose sight of our own continental market. Africans are the future of global tourism as our middle class continues to grow at a fast pace in the decades to come.”
With these recent improvements, Africans can now visit five African nations without requiring a visa. More African governments are considering joining the party, making it easier to move people and goods across the gorgeous continent.
While these significant reforms are occurring, it is crucial to recognize that traveling throughout Africa can still be difficult due to differing visa requirements and bureaucratic impediments in some countries.
According to the Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI), things have improved, although certain nations are still not visa-friendly. These countries are still lagging in adopting visa-friendly rules, making it difficult for Africans to move within and outside their borders.
The following are the ten African countries with the tightest visa policies in 2022:
| Rank | Country | No visa required | Visa on arrival | Visa required | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Libya | 1 | 0 | 52 | 0.019 |
| 2 | Equatorial Guinea | 1 | 0 | 52 | 0.019 |
| 3 | Sudan | 0 | 2 | 51 | 0.030 |
| 4 | Eritrea | 1 | 2 | 50 | 0.049 |
| 5 | South Sudan | 3 | 0 | 50 | 0.057 |
| 6 | Egypt | 0 | 5 | 48 | 0.075 |
| 7 | Algeria | 6 | 0 | 47 | 0.113 |
| 8 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 4 | 3 | 46 | 0.121 |
| 9 | Morocco | 7 | 0 | 46 | 0.132 |
| 10 | Cameroon | 7 | 0 | 46 | 0.132 |