Menu

Donald Kaberuka, the immediate past president of the African Development Bank, has urged African governments to facilitate free movement across the continent.

Kaberuka, who was succeeded at the AfDB by Nigeria’s Akinwunmi Adesina, made the call after a British Airways flight refused to board him on Friday because he lacked a visa.

“Let’s facilitate Africans traveling to their continent,” Kaberuka tweeted after the incident. “BA airline just refused to board me to ACCRA: visa!”

Africa has one of the highest visa restrictions in the world. Unlike in Europe and North America, Africans require visas to visit 60 per cent of African countries – ranging from a high of 84 per cent for Somalia to a low of 41 per cent for The Gambia.

However, two African regional blocs – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and East African Community (EAC) – have granted free of movement for their citizens. Only five African countries – Seychelles, Mozambique, Rwanda, Comoros and Madagascar – offer visa-free access or visas on arrival to citizens of all African countries, according to the African Development Bank.

Africa’s restrictive visa policies are a reflection of its meager intra-regional trade. According to Ecobank, intra-regional trade in Africa is the lowest in the world – at just 12 percent. By comparison 60 percent of trade in Europe is within its own continent; North America stands at 40 percent; Asia at 40 percent; and Latin America at 30 percent.

Chibuike Oguh is Financial Nigeria's Frontier Markets Analyst