Rwanda Leads Africa in Visa Openness for Another Year
Rwanda continues to hold the top spot for visa openness in Africa, a position it has maintained since 2023, thanks to its visa-free regime. The latest Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI) report highlights Rwanda’s commitment to facilitating travel for all Africans.
Other Leading Countries in Visa Openness
Alongside Rwanda, Benin, The Gambia, and Seychelles were also ranked as the most open countries on the continent, offering visa-free access to all African nationals.
What is the Africa Visa Openness Index (AVOI)?
The AVOI is a joint effort by the African Development Bank and the African Union (AU) Commission. It evaluates how easily African nationals can visit other African countries by analyzing each country’s visa policies.
The 2024 report revealed:
- The top 10 countries averaged a score of 0.910 in visa openness.
- Eight countries saw a decline in their scores, 17 improved, and 29 maintained their positions.
- Among the top 20 performers, nine are low-income countries, and three are landlocked, including Rwanda.
Challenges in Reciprocity
While Rwanda is a leader in visa openness, reciprocity remains an issue. Rwandans still require visas to visit 21 African countries, can get visas on arrival in 16, and have visa-free access to the remaining 16 countries.
Speaking to The New Times, Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, explained that the country’s visa-free regime was a political decision not tied to reciprocity.
“We’ve been signing visa waiver agreements with various African countries to enable the free movement of people in both directions, and we’ll continue to do so,” he stated.
The Bigger Picture: Mobility and Development
Joy Kategekwa, Director of Regional Integration at the African Development Bank, emphasized the importance of mobility for Africa’s development. She pointed out that visa restrictions hinder Africans from contributing to each other’s tourism revenues despite the continent’s wealth of historic attractions.
She also noted that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) relies heavily on free movement.
“Creating conditions that ease the movement of Africans across the continent is in Africa’s best interest,” she said.
Least Open Country
On the other end of the spectrum, Sudan ranked as the least open country in Africa, scoring only 0.030. Sudan requires visas for citizens of 51 African nations and offers visas on arrival to just two.
By prioritizing visa openness, Rwanda and other top-performing countries are setting an example for the rest of the continent, paving the way for stronger regional integration and economic growth.
