“Togo, Congo, Chad… African states are accelerating the abolition of entry visas for continent nationals. This decision, far from being a mere announcement, could multiply commercial exchanges if applied with transparency, method, and rigor.
The opening of African countries’ borders to holders of African passports is no longer just a rhetorical marker of pan-Africanism. It is gradually becoming part of public policies. For a long time, the countries that chose real openness were few. Benin, Seychelles, Gambia, and Rwanda have often been cited as pioneers, each in their own way.
The new development is not so much the existence of this dynamic but its acceleration. Ghana announced at the beginning of 2025 the visa-free entry for all holders of African passports, explicitly linking this measure to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Kenya, after controversies over its electronic travel authorization (eTA) system, revised its approach in 2025 by exempting almost all African nationals from this formality, except for Somalia and Libya. A similar measure was unveiled in Burkina in September of the same year.
Togo also announced in May 2026, with immediate effect, the abolition of visa requirements for all African nationals holding a valid passport, for stays of up to 30 days. This was just before Congo, where the measure will take effect from January 1, 2027. The same implementation date is planned for Chad, where President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno made the announcement. Shortly before Ndjamena, Pretoria also published a list of African countries whose nationals could travel to South Africa without a visa for stays ranging from 30 to 90 days, depending on their nationality and passport type.
The movement is underway. Although it remains uneven across countries and still influenced by administrative caution.
Looking closely, the issue goes far beyond individual mobility. In Africa, the African Union Commission (AUC) notes in its African Integration Report that restrictions on movement are a direct hindrance to economic integration. Reducing customs duties (and reforming its business framework) is almost pointless if entrepreneurs, carriers, investors, engineers, or service providers continue to be slowed down by expensive, slow, and sometimes unpredictable visas.
For their part, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union (AU) have emphasized for several years that these constraints weigh on service trade, investment flows, regional tourism, and the emergence of denser continental value chains. In this context, the fact that intra-African trade still represents only about 15 to 18% of the continent’s total trade (according to data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Import-Export Bank) highlights the extent of the catch-up needed.
The abolition of visas between African countries is not just a political or symbolic gesture. It is a full-fledged economic reform that must be multiplied. By facilitating business travel, streamlining trade fair organization, accelerating contract conclusion, and supporting regional tourism, it strengthens the conditions for a more integrated African market. It can also encourage continent companies to think regionally or continentally, rather than being confined to national markets.
The question now is not whether African borders should be opened to Africans. This step seems to have been surpassed. The real question now is the pace, scope, and coherence of this opening.
As long as free movement remains partial, reversible, or conditioned by digital procedures that reduce its impact, the economic integration of the continent will progress below its potential. Opening borders further to holders of African passports does not weaken states’ sovereignty. On the contrary, it can be one of the most concrete expressions of sovereignty serving development.”
