African leaders and development institutions have renewed calls for visa-free travel across the continent, describing the free movement of people as critical to accelerating economic transformation under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The push gained momentum at a high-level symposium on advancing a visa-free Africa, co-convened by the African Development Bank Group and the African Union Commission on the sidelines of the 39th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.
Participants argued that while tariffs are gradually declining under AfCFTA, restrictive visa regimes continue to hinder trade in services, tourism, investment flows and labour mobility. They described mobility as a missing pillar in Africa’s integration agenda, limiting the continent’s ability to unlock regional value chains and enterprise growth.
Alex Mubiru, Director General for Eastern Africa at the African Development Bank Group, said visa-free travel, interoperable digital systems and integrated markets are practical tools for translating policy ambition into measurable economic activity. He urged countries to move beyond incremental reforms toward transformative change, stressing that both economic data and lived experiences support greater openness.
Amma A. Twum-Amoah, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development at the African Union Commission, called for faster implementation of existing continental frameworks, noting that visa openness can deepen regional markets and strengthen collective responses to economic and humanitarian challenges.
Former African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma reaffirmed that free movement is central to the AU’s long-term development blueprint, Agenda 2063. She urged member states to operationalise initiatives such as the African Passport and the Free Movement of Persons Protocol, emphasising that continental identity must be matched with practical mobility.
Ghana’s Trade and Industry Minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, shared her country’s experience with open visa policies for African travellers, citing increased business travel, tourism and investor interest as early benefits of liberalisation.
The symposium also reviewed findings from the latest Africa Visa Openness Index, which indicates that more than half of intra-African travel still requires visas prior to departure, a constraint participants said continues to weigh on intra-continental commerce.
Mesfin Tasew, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, called for full implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market, arguing that aviation connectivity and visa liberalisation must progress together to enable seamless travel across the continent.
Regional representatives, including Elias Magosi of the Southern African Development Community, stressed the need to build trust through improved border management and digital information-sharing systems. Gabby Otchere Darko of the Africa Prosperity Network advocated support for the “Make Africa Borderless Now” campaign, while tourism advocate Ras Mubarak urged wider ratification of the AU Free Movement of Persons Protocol.
Participants concluded that achieving a visa-free Africa will require alignment of migration policies, digital identity systems and border infrastructure, backed by sustained political will. In a symbolic gesture, attendees signed a “passport wall” to demonstrate support for accelerating reforms aimed at making travel across African borders easier for citizens.
The African Development Bank Group and the African Union Commission reaffirmed their commitment to working with member states and regional bodies to advance coordinated mobility reforms, positioning free movement as a cornerstone of Africa’s integration, competitiveness and long-term growth.
