Introduction.
African policymakers and development institutions have renewed calls for visa-free travel across the continent, framing free movement as vital for economic transformation under the African Continental Free Trade Area. At a high-level symposium co-hosted by the African Development Bank Group and the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, participants highlighted that restrictive visa regimes—where African citizens require visas for an average of 60% of countries—continue to hinder trade, investment, tourism, and labour mobility. Leaders, including Alex Mubiru, Amma Twum-Amoah, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and Ghana’s Trade Minister, emphasised that visa openness, interoperable digital systems, and integrated markets are essential to unlocking regional value chains, enterprise, and innovation. Ethiopian Airlines’ CEO Mesfin Bekele and regional bodies stressed that aviation connectivity must accompany visa liberalisation, while campaigns like ‘Make Africa Borderless Now’ and AU protocols were cited as pathways to seamless intra-African travel.
Conferences and Events
The African Development Bank Group co-hosted the Airlines, Capital and Connectivity Forum on 25–26 February…
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