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The 2018 report on visa liberalization in Africa, which uses an index to measure the degree of openness of African countries with respect to visas, by examining what they ask citizens to do. other countries of Africa during their travels.
The Visa Opening Index for Africa tracks country scores over time to indicate which countries are making positive improvements to the free movement of people in Africa.
Ghana Performance
Ghana is one of the top 20 countries in 2018 with the most improved visa opening scores, from 2016 to 2018.
In 2015, 61 countries required a visa to come to Ghana, 9 countries had to obtain a visa upon arrival, while 30 did not need to come to Ghana.
In 2016, across the continent, Ghana had made the greatest progress in opening its borders to other African travelers, rising to sixth place in the index, up sixteen places from 2015.
The figures from the 2018 report therefore show that only one country in Africa needs a visa to come to Ghana, 17 countries do not require a visa and another 35 countries need to To get on their arrival.
The country now offers 96% liberal access to all Africans. It is either visa-free access to almost one-third of all countries (including the other 14 ECOWAS member states), or nearly two-thirds of African countries' visas ( less than 10% in 2015).
Ghana's political decision follows a resolution pbaded early 2016 by the AU Executive Council on the issuance of visas upon arrival for Member States, with the possibility of a stay of 30 days.
During the State of the Nation Address on February 25, 2016, former President John Dramani Mahama announced the new directive.
"As of July this year, we will allow citizens of the AU member states to enter our country and obtain visas upon arrival, with the possibility of staying up to thirty. days and experience what our country has to offer. This measure, over time, is expected to boost air transport, trade, investment and tourism. "
This is linked to Ghana's commitment to support the broader integration efforts of the continent and Agenda 2063, including strengthening ties with its Francophone neighbors.
Other findings in the report on visa transparency
On average, African countries are opening up more and more, indicating that travel to the continent is becoming easier.
Compared with 2017 and 2016, progress has been made in 2018 with respect to the visa opening indicators, as Africans currently do not need a visa to travel to more countries than the years before. preceding.
However, the fact that Africans still need visas to visit just over half of other African countries shows that further progress is needed to achieve the free movement of people across the continent.
- Currently, Africans do not need a visa to travel to 25% of other African countries (compared to 22% in 2017 and 20% in 2016).
- Africans can obtain visas on arrival in 24% of other African countries (also 24% in 2017 and 25% in 2016).
- Africans need visas to travel in 51% of other African countries (compared to 54% in 2017 and 55% in 2016).
Seychelles and Benin remain the most successful countries in terms of visa openness. Benin moved from 27th position in 2016 to sharing first place in 2018 with Seychelles, which has been very open since the beginning of the report in 2015.
Rwanda and Togo with the same accumulation of points share third place. Then Guinea Bissau and Uganda share fifth place.
Due to Benin's performance, Ghana dropped from sixth to seventh position in 2018.
Libya, Suban, Equatorial Guinea and Western Sahara occupy the last places. 52, 53, 54 and 55 respectively, which means that it is difficult to settle in these countries.
Economic implications
The free movement of people is the cornerstone of regional integration. the creation of greater mobility stimulates the creation of larger and more attractive markets and support for intra-African trade.
When businessmen and traders move more easily from one continent to another, through liberal visa policies, they attract more investment, new skills and expand the range of goods and services offered.
The chairman of the African Development Bank Group, Akinwumi A. Adesina, said it was essential for the integration program to be able to move freely and do business between African countries.
"Regional integration and trade based on the free movement of people, goods, services and capital are at the heart of the activities of the African Development Bank … we need to accelerate investments in regional and national infrastructure, in particular to enhance connectivity, reduce costs and reduce costs. increase competitiveness. "
At the same time, 18 of the top 20 countries are low-income or lower-middle-income economies. The 20 most visa-friendly countries (where data is available) have an upward trajectory in terms of travel and tourism figures, in terms of GDP, visitor exports and investment.
Eighteen of the 20 most visa-friendly countries have improved their overall performance with the World Bank Group's "Distance to the Border" measure, which shows that economies are becoming increasingly important. open.
Half of the 20 countries most open to visas show an upward trend in real GDP growth.
Regional mobility in Africa
Africa is the second fastest growing region in the world. Strengthening regional integration to include the free movement of people, capital and services is a priority to contribute to the achievement of Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Greater regional mobility opens opportunities for SMEs and young people by broadening their horizons to the scale of Africa.
In 2018, the open reciprocity of the continent ("visa-free" measures) was 19% (compared with 17% in 2017) and reciprocity closed at 33% (compared to 36% in 2017).
Progress is being made at regional level to allow free movement of people, but there is still a way to travel. Visa-free access for other Member States continues to vary among African Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
A quarter of the countries have progressed compared to 2017. 43 countries have improved or maintained their score (47 countries in 2017). 15 countries climbed the rankings (12 in 2017).
Four of the top 20 redevelopment agents entered the top 20 countries between 2016 and 2018, showing how the decision to liberalize visa policies had an immediate effect on scores and rankings.
So, what is the next step for opening visas in Africa?
The year 2018 marked a turning point in the history of Africa's integration with the Continental Free Trade Area of Africa (AFCFTA) and the single market for air transport in Africa. Closer cooperation and shared investments in Africa's economic growth and sustainable development have been further strengthened.
AfCFTA was signed by nearly 50 countries at the AU Summit in March 2018, alongside the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. It creates an African market of 1.2 billion inhabitants, with a GDP of 2.5 trillion US dollars, likely to boost intra-African trade by 52% by 2020, for the benefit of producers , consumers and African traders.
With progress on Africa's infrastructure needs and trade reforms, visa openness is a valuable, win-win policy tool that will help strengthen integration.
Developments on free movement of people open the way for countries to take steps to allow African citizens the right of residence and establishment. The single market for air transport in Africa is expected to improve air connectivity, which means faster, cheaper and more accessible travel across Africa.
An Africa with open borders and open skies is open for business. Removing the barriers that prevent Africans from visiting, exploring and investing on the continent is part of this context.
More and more countries are introducing visa-free or on-arrival access to catalyze tourism and attract investment, along with measures to improve the business environment.
"Economic integration thus responds not only to the aspirations of Pan-Africanism, but also to a concrete imperative linked to the economic viability of the continent … Our people, our business community and our young people in particular can no longer wait to see the lifting barriers that divide our continent, "said Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission.
About the report
The report indicates at a glance which countries facilitate the travel of citizens of other countries and how: they allow people to travel to their country without a visa, so travelers can get a visa upon arrival in the country or if visitors must obtain a visa before travel.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) was the main source of data on the opening of visas.
In future editions, the report will look at how countries facilitate the opening of visas by reducing the time, cost or simplification of the visa application process, as well as the extent to which the experience of the visa application process is complete. a visitor in the field is in compliance with the visa agreements or policies in effect on paper. .
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