Namibia ranked 38th in the report on the opening of visas |

Namibia ranked 38th out of 54 African countries for the liberalization of its visa policy framework in October 2017 by issuing visas to all Africans upon arrival.
This is part of a larger goal of eliminating visa requirements.
Namibia lost two places to 36 places in 2017, while it ranked 38th in 2016 for the opening of visas in Africa, announced on Wednesday the report on the opening of visas for Africa for 2018.
The report is written by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission and the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum on Africa.
The ranking also follows earlier plans to allow citizens of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to access the country without a visa. African diplomats and holders of an official passport are allowed since 2016 in Namibia without a visa.
The report aims to show which countries facilitate travel by citizens of other countries and how or where they allow people to travel in their country without a visa, if travelers can get a visa upon arrival in the country or if visitors must get one before they travel.
Benin has joined Seychelles at the top of the list, which represents the most important progress in opening its borders to African travelers: it has moved from 27th place in 2017 to first place this year.
Zimbabwe has also entered the top 20 by introducing an arrival visa policy for SADC members.
Rwanda, Togo, Guinea Bissau, Uganda and Ghana are also among the top African countries in terms of visa openness, while Sudan and Equatorial Guinea rank last. .
Overall, compared to 2017, Africans do not need a visa to travel to 25% of other African countries (versus 22%) and need a visa to travel to 51% of other African countries (instead of 54%), says the report.
"However, the fact that Africans still need visas to visit a little more than half of other African countries shows that we still need to make progress to ensure the free movement of people across the continent." , said the AfDB.
He further noted that alongside the expansion of infrastructure in Africa and the creation of trade and investment opportunities, Africans will need to move more easily.
Solutions such as the African passport, visa-free regional blocks, multi-year visas or arrival visa systems should continue to be promoted.
The AfDB has declared the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the African Single Aviation Market to be important steps in creating a regulatory environment that promotes air connectivity and makes it cheaper for Africans. to travel to Africa.