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African policymakers, business leaders, and development institutions have renewed calls for visa-free travel across the continent, describing the free movement of people as essential to unlocking Africa’s economic transformation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). 

The renewed calls were made at a High-Level Symposium on Advancing a Visa-Free Africa for Economic Prosperity, co-convened by the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the African Union Commission (AUC) on the margins of the 39th African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa last month.

Participants described mobility as the missing link in Africa’s integration agenda, arguing that although tariffs are falling under the AfCFTA, restrictive visa regimes continue to constrain trade in services, investment flows, tourism, and labour mobility.

“Visa-free travel, interoperable digital systems, and integrated markets are practical enablers of enterprise, innovation, and regional value chains to translate policy ambitions into economic activity,” said Alex Mubiru, Director General for Eastern Africa at the AfDB.

The AfDB and the AUC said they will continue collaborating with member states and regional bodies to advance coordinated approaches to mobility.

According to the latest Africa Visa Openness Index, more than half of intra-African travel still requires a visa before departure.