Rwanda is once again the most open country in the East African Community (EAC) to visitors from across the African continent, topping peers, including Kenya whose launch of the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) appears to have been counterproductive.

 

The latest data from a report compiled by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union Commission shows that Rwanda remains the most visa-free country in Africa, having waived visas for all Africans.

It shares the position with the Seychelles, the Gambia and Benin, which, along with Mauritius and Ghana, have consistently topped the best ten countries in Africa.

The top countries earn the maximum score of 1, meaning that Rwanda, Benin and the Seychelles have the easiest regulations for African travellers, either by waiving visas, allowing visas on arrival or making it easier to apply for travel documents.

In the EAC, Uganda (0.019) and Tanzania (0.015) are the most improved countries in terms of visa openness, on a list that showed Sierra Leone (0.309), Angola (0.0170) and the Central African Republic (0.075) as the most progressed on opening up, according to the Africa Visa Openness Index.

The index tracks visa openness on the African continent: How easy is it for African citizens to travel to other African countries? What visa policies do countries apply to the citizens of other African countries?The AfDB and the African Union have been compiling data on Africa’s immigration policies annually since 2016. However, the index reflects the ease of movement between borders, rather than the rights of travellers to settle or work in the countries visited.

Visa by another nameDespite Kenya introducing ETAs for all foreign travellers instead of visa applications, Nairobi’s ranking dropped to 46th with a score of 0.113.

At the launch of the ETA in early January, President William Ruto argued that it was a policy to attract more visitors, seeing them as “coming home” and important for improving on tourism earnings.

But initial teething problems, including a blanket requirement for all visitors to apply and pay $30 to enter Kenya, frustrated travellers, including those who came from countries that had allowed Kenyans visa free travel.

The ETA also affected countries that had bilateral visa waiver agreements with Kenya --the Republic of Congo, South Africa, Eritrea, the Comoros and Angola (which was a unilateral move).

Kenya has since adjusted the portal to waiving fees for countries with it has reciprocal visa free travel, but critics argue that the requirement to apply for ETA 72 hours before travel limits options for those on emergency trips.

Without mentioning Kenya directly, the index says that ETAs “notwithstanding intent, resemble features of a visa.”Read: How Kenya, EAC champion of free movement, is failing immigrants and refugees“One thing is clear – Africa will not meet its development aspirations in the absence of regimes that promote mobility across the continent. Think of tourism. There is no single country that does not want to reap the dividends of tourism – given the continent’s abundance of some of the most historic attractions,” argued Dr Joy Kategekwa, Regional Integration Coordination Office, AfDB, at the launch of the report on Monday.“And yet, visa restrictions make it difficult for Africans to contribute to each other’s tourism revenues.

Or industrialisation, as the continent looks to build the production houses to benefit from the AfCFTA, it is imperative that people can move – not only to bring skills into managing such operations, but also to take advantage of the jobs that will be created. It follows, therefore, that creation of conditions easing movement of Africans across Africa is in the continent’s enlightened self-interest.”

According to the index, travellers prefer easier travel conditions, and ETAs are tenuous andentirely conditional and add costs, especially when travellers have to pay each time they enter a territory.“ETA lead times that undermine spontaneous travel, the need for confirmed itineraries and accommodation, can all serve as impediments to free movement of people and undermine the inherent benefits that ETA systems potentially offer,” the report says.

EAC opennessIn the EAC, Burundi (0.823), Somalia (0.785), Tanzania (0.706), Uganda (0.396) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (0.121) are all ahead of Kenya in visa openness, although they also have the most countries whose nationals require visas to enter their territory.

Somalia grants visas on arrival to most African countries, while South Sudan requires visas on departure to most African countries (0.087) in the East African region.

The EAC as a bloc reported 54 percent on openness, a lower score than in 2023 (71 percent) on the assessment of on inter-bloc visa openness, “mainly due to Somalia (a full EAC member since early 2024) requiring a visa on arrival for all travellers.”Overall, 17 countries in Africa improved on their visa openness. There were 15 in 2023.

Sixteen of the top 20 ranked countries are in West and Eastern Africa, while 18 of the top 20 countries on the Index as either lower-middle-income or low-income countries, suggesting that lower-income countries are often more open to liberal visa regimes.

The report also shows that several of the higher-income countries continue to maintain restrictive visa regimes, arguing that this may be “owing to concerns around visa openness incentivising inbound travel for purely economic reasons or creating pathways to irregular migration.”However, the index assesses short-term travel, not migration for work or permanent resettlement.

Profound contradictionsThe AU and the AfDB have been urging African countries to adopt a three-pronged strategy to ease movement: reduce visa restrictions, open skies and support free trade.

There has been a general reluctance, the two organisations admit, saying Africa’s case is “one of the most profound contradictions” because countries tend to be more open to peers beyond the continent than to their own kind.“Successful outcomes hinge on the ease with which Africans are able to cross national borders, be it for economic reasons, to share ideas, to enable greater social cohesion, as entrepreneurs, or to provide and obtain services outside of their home country.“The inherent sharing of services in productive activities and trade is often vastly underestimated, yet remains a critical component,” said Minata Samate Cessouma, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development at the AU Commission.

Sometimes it is a case of interest. Three of the landlocked countries are in the top 20: Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia. They either issue visas on arrival, have waived visa requirements or allow easier e-visa applications.

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