Some months ago, one of the authors saw a flurry of articles about how difficult it is for citizens of African countries to travel to other African countries. Some of the articles were based on troubles faced by Mr Aliko Dangote in travelling to various parts of the continent. Part of the difficulty comes from the lack of flights or other transport between countries on the continent, but part of it also comes from many African countries requiring visas for visitors from other countries on the continent.
Some of the commentary was based on the sentiment that, somehow, Africans should be free to travel all around the continent without impediment. This is an understandable and attractive view. We have seen how reduced visa restrictions have made travel around Europe easier over recent decades, and how this has improved the lives of European citizens and benefitted economies. We believe that relaxing visa requirements for citizens of other African countries is a welcome step, and we are happy that there have been some great steps made in doing this. Examples are the long-standing visa exemptions for citizens of ECOWAS countries when visiting other member states, and the recent relaxations by Rwanda and Ghana, among others.
However, we think the issue is a deeper one, and that African countries would benefit from relaxing entry requirements more generally, and not just for citizens of other African countries.
- We suppose that a country can require a foreign visitor to obtain a visa in advance for several reasons, such as:
- Controlling immigration.
- Security concerns.
- Inertia, or lack of interest in changing long established practices.
- So-called “reciprocity.”
- Copying ideas from other countries such as the USA, Canada and the EU, such as the USA’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA).
We think that a lot of African countries have maintained strict controls partly due to inertia, meaning that government departments and agencies responsible for implementing immigration control prefer to maintain visa requirements, either because “it has always been done like this,” or they are concerned about job security or prestige of the department or agency and its staff. This can be presented as a concern about security if restrictions are eased.
Reciprocity is a stated policy of several countries, including Nigeria. The problem with this is that it can be a form of “self-harm.” If, for example, Nigeria decides that it will not admit citizens of the USA without a visa, because the USA will not admit Nigerian citizens to the USA without a visa, will this lead the USA to relax its requirements for visitors from Nigeria? Almost certainly not. What it is more likely to achieve is a fewer number of visitors to Nigeria from the USA than may have travelled if there was no visa requirement. Apart from the missed economic opportunities which we will discuss later, this can also lead to greater ignorance about the country in important and influential foreign countries.
We think it is sensible for countries to try to control long term immigration (if only to manage possible resentment and other political issues), and to ensure that those who do move to the country bring skills and experience that are less available in the country. However, it is worth saying that it is generally nicer to live in a country that people want to move to than otherwise. Further, we are not convinced that imposing a requirement for a visa is that effective in controlling long term immigration.
Visitors from foreign countries are likely to bring several benefits. If we ignore visitors from a country’s diaspora (who may still hold the country’s passport), visitors may be tourists, or they may be considering investments in a country, or supporting/ managing investments that have already been made.
Tourists obviously spend money in a country. This can be on hotels, meals, in-country transport, souvenirs, and other “experiences.” All of this helps to build the economy. Some African countries have been very successful in building a tourism industry (for example, Gambia, Cape Verde, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa and Mauritius).
Most, if not all, countries on the continent want to attract foreign investment, and to retain the investments that have already been made. This will be easier if representatives of investors, or potential investors, are able to visit a country easily, with the imposition of onerous requirements such as visas. A requirement to be “invited” to the country is just a nuisance, that does not seem to have any real benefit to the country, but will discourage business people and investors from visiting.
So, much as we welcome relaxations of visa requirements for other African citizens, we suggest that it is also important to do more to encourage both tourists and business visitors from “richer” countries – by which we mean countries which are more likely to be the origin of higher spending tourists or serious investors.
The requirement to obtain a visa in advance of travel creates a few problems for the visitor:
- Hassle or effort. Forms must be found and completed. Maybe with photos, or supporting information, and often an official invitation. This is all off-putting. If the application can be done on-line, this is an improvement (as it cuts-out the need to travel to a consulate), but it is still an obstacle, the effect of which depends on the extent of the supporting documentation required. We realise that the USA, UK and EU all impose very strict requirements to apply for visas, but “two wrongs don’t make a right.” Those countries can make their own decisions about the cost and benefit to them of imposing these requirements, but African countries need to determine what is in their own interest, and what policies will benefit their economies and the lives of a broad range of their citizens.
- Cost. A fee of say USD 50 or 100 does not seem much, perhaps. But, if a tourist wants to visit with a family of 4, say, then the cost starts becoming more noticeable. Especially if that person could travel somewhere else, for no visa fee. If a revenue raising measure is required, this could perhaps be done by an entry tax included in air fares. This would be like the airport tax or exit tax that is often already imposed and included in air fares. Although it does increase the cost of visiting, it is harder to detect and thus may not influence decisions to the same extent.
If the visa can be obtained at the border, without the need for an advance application, this should resolve the first issue of “hassle.” It still leaves the issue of cost, but if the cost is seen as “reasonable,” this is probably less important. A visa that can be obtained by an online application may be simpler to obtain than a visa obtained from an embassy, but it may still be necessary to supply supporting documentation.
If a visitor must obtain some other document before travelling, such as an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), or an online registration, this is much the same as imposing a visa requirement. The effect of this is likely to depend on the cost, and the degree of effort and time required to comply with this step. If the compulsory registration or ETA must be completed sometime in advance of arrival, this is likely to deter last minute travel, which could particularly delay business travel, and seems to be an unnecessary impediment to travel.
We have set out a summary of a sample of visa requirements for African countries. This is clearly not a complete list and is based on publicly available information at the end of December 2025. It is just a guide, and cannot be relied on as accurate, as visa requirements change quite frequently.
Article co-authored by Russell Eastaugh and Ambeswa Koyana.
Russell Eastaugh
Russell has extensive African experience, in particular in Nigeria and Uganda, and extensive experience of the betting industry. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria. Contact Russell at reastaugh@reganvanrooy.com.
Ambeswa Koyana
Ambeswa holds a BCom Accounting degree from the University of the Free State and an Honours degree in Taxation from the University of Cape Town. She is currently completing her Master’s in International Tax Law. Ambeswa is passionate about helping businesses navigate complex tax landscapes across Africa and enjoys working on practical, compliant solutions that support clients’ commercial objectives.
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