Discussions about the challenges of traveling across borders in Africa have been ongoing for years. Visa issues have significantly hindered the economic progress of many African countries and need immediate attention. Although this topic has been addressed multiple times at regional and international conferences, substantial actions are still lacking. However, some small changes are underway, with a few countries starting to embrace the idea of easing travel restrictions. Achieving this goal requires a united effort from all nations.
Despite his extensive business activities across multiple countries, Nigerian multi-billionaire Aliko Dangote faces more obstacles traveling within Africa than visitors with European passports. “As an investor and someone who wants to contribute to Africa’s growth, I have to apply for 35 different visas,” Dangote remarked at the recent Africa CEO Forum in Kigali. “I don’t have the time to leave my passport at embassies for visa processing,” he added, drawing laughter from the audience.
Dangote’s frustrations highlight the broader issue of travel difficulties within Africa. It is especially frustrating for Africans that European passports often provide easier access to African countries than African passports do. Dangote underscored this point by noting that Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of Total Energies, does not need 35 visas on his French passport to travel within Africa.
Dangote praised Rwanda for eliminating visas for all African nationals in 2023, along with Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles, which also offer visa-free access to all Africans. However, many African countries still require visas from other Africans, and the process is often marked by discrimination, hostility, and high fees.
Nigerian travel filmmaker Tayo Aina recounted his humiliating experience of being forced to give a stool sample in front of an Ethiopian immigration officer in April 2021 to prove he had not ingested drugs. “It was my most humiliating experience traveling within Africa,” he told CNN. He has also been detained at airports in Kenya and South Africa because of his Nigerian passport.
In response to these challenges, Aina announced this year that he had purchased a passport from the Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis for $150,000 to travel more freely. “Sometimes you go to a country, and it is no longer visa-on-arrival. People have been deported upon landing because the policy changed mid-flight,” he explained.
The African Union aims to remove “restrictions on Africans’ ability to travel, work, and live within their own continent by transforming restrictive laws and promoting visa-free travel,” but progress has been slow. Free movement is a critical part of the African Continental Free Trade Area, yet commitments have not been matched by actions.
Alan Hirsch, a migration researcher, explains that the fear of permanent migration is one reason African nations hesitate to make travel easier for other Africans. “Richer African countries fear that people from poorer nations might seek to move there permanently,” he said. “Many Africans cross borders informally, and we don’t have accurate records of this. Some countries fear people applying for asylum and then disappearing.”
Hirsch, a retired University of Cape Town professor now running a migration program at the New South Institute think tank in Johannesburg, also noted that issues with passport and visa system integrity in poorer African countries hinder mobility. “People have found illegal ways to obtain passports, such as pretending to be Burundian without being from that country.”
While Africans can move relatively freely within their regions, traveling further remains challenging. East African Community countries do not require visas within the bloc, and most parts of Southern and West Africa are open to nationals from their respective regions.
However, progress can sometimes introduce new challenges. For example, a Nigerian visa on arrival used to cost $25 for Kenyan passport holders, but now Kenyans must apply for a Nigerian e-visa in advance, at a cost of $215.
Kenyan President William Ruto promised to eliminate visas for everyone traveling to Kenya, but instead introduced an Electronic Travel Authorization. This authorization process is similar to a visa application, costing $30 plus processing fees and taking several days for approval. Many visa applications require extensive documentation, and applicants are often rejected for incomplete paperwork or unclear reasons.
“South Africa held my passport for almost five months,” Tayo Aina said. His new St. Kitts passport allows him to travel to more African countries than his Nigerian passport.
