Visa
“Why are we required to get a visa to travel on our own continent? Aren’t we all African? Is it not supposed to be easy for me as an African to travel around this continent of origin?”
African travellers are still wondering why they need visas to cross borders within the continent.
Only 25% of African countries welcome some or all continental visitors, visa-free according to the Africa Visa Openness Index 2021.
This is despite regional leaders’ call for cooperation amongst states in the continent toward the Africa Free Trade Area dream.
Why Need A Visa?
An online news outlet says African countries are hesitant to adopt a visa-free Africa amid national sovereignty, irregular immigration flows, xenophobia, terrorism and refugees.
A lecturer at the University of Pretoria Cristiano D’Orsi is quoted saying, “The best reason put forward for this has been the economic burden (of having immigrants), security threats and sovereignty issues. ”
“We have seen the likes of Kenya, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa use this to justify why some nationals have to obtain visas.”
The lecturer added that high unemployment within these countries is also a contributing factor to the lack of openness to other African nationals.
Visa-Free African Countries
Only three African countries; Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles offered visa-free access to all the continent’s visitors in 2021 according to the latest Africa Visa Openness Index.
Comoros is the only country on the continent that offers a visa on arrival to all Africans. A Visa-on-arrival policy is an effective way to encourage the free movement of people on the continent; implementing it would boost regional integration and raise countries’ AVOI score. This eliminates hassles associated with applications for visas.
Five other countries on the continent (Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Mauritania)offer either visa-free access or a visa on arrival to all Africans.
Complications of Getting A Visa
Major deterrents to travelling in Africa are high visa fees averaging US$60 and cumbersome applications according to the Africa Visa Openness Index.
Visa fees range from US$12 to US$250 depending on the length of stay with an average processing time for issuing a visa on the continent of 72 hours(3 days).
Processing times, where shown range from 1-2 days to 10 days.
Zimbabwean Travel
The Zimbabwean passport ranks 80th in terms of travel freedom on the Henley Passport Index with around 17 African countries allowing the country nationalities to visit visa-free.
Around 17 African countries require visas to visit Zimbabwe.
