ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, February 2/APO Group: 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 call was reinforced at a High-Level Symposium on Advancing a Visa-Free Africa for Economic Prosperity, co-convened by the African Development Bank Group and the African Union Commission on the margins of the 39th African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa.
The event saw participants framing mobility as the missing link in Africa’s integration agenda, arguing that while tariffs are falling under AfCFTA, restrictive visa regimes continue to limit trade in services, investment flows, tourism, and labour mobility.
The Director General for Eastern Africa at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), Alex Mubiru, said that 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.
“The evidence is clear. The economics support openness. The human story demands it,” he told participants, urging countries to move from incremental reforms to “transformative change.”
While the Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development at the African Union Commission, Amma A. Twum-Amoah, called for a faster implementation of existing continental frameworks, describing visa openness as a strategic lever for deepening regional markets and enhancing collective responses to economic and humanitarian crises.
Former AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma reiterated that free movement is central to the African Union’s long-term development blueprint, Agenda 2063. “If we accept that we are Africans, then we must be able to move freely across our continent,” she said, urging member states to operationalise initiatives such as the African Passport and the Free Movement of Persons Protocol.
The Symposium also reviewed findings from the latest Africa Visa Openness Index, which shows that more than half of intra-African travel still requires visas before departure – seen by participants as a significant drag on intra-continental commerce.
The Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, Mesfin Bekele, has called for full implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), saying aviation connectivity and visa liberalisation must advance together to enable seamless travel.
Participants concluded that achieving a visa-free Africa will require aligning migration policies, digital identity systems, and border infrastructure, alongside sustained political commitment.
In a symbolic gesture, attendees signed a “passport wall,” signalling support for accelerated reforms to make movement across African borders easier for citizens.
The (AfDB) and the African Union Commission said they will continue working with member states and regional bodies to advance coordinated approaches to mobility – seen as a cornerstone of Africa’s integration, competitiveness, and long-term growth.
