Slow ratification threatens push for visa-free Africa

Sluggish ratification of Africa's key mobility pact has been stalled by bureaucratic visa regimes that continue to restrict the movement of people across the continent, the Southern African Development Community has warned.

Speaking at a high-level symposium convened by the African Development Bank Group on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Elias Magosi, SADC executive secretary, said easing visa restrictions would unlock opportunities for trade and investment by strengthening value chains, enhancing labor mobility, and promoting knowledge exchange.

Magosi noted that free movement of persons would deepen integration and people-to-people connections, which is a very critical ingredient for the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

So far, only four African countries have ratified the African Union's protocol on free movement of people, far short of the 15 ratifications required for the agreement to enter into force.

"Removing mobility barriers would unlock significant opportunities for intra-African trade, cross-border investment, tourism, youth entrepreneurship and skills mobility," Magosi said during his presentation.

The protocol adopted in 2018 has been ratified with Mali, Niger, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe.

"A visa-free Africa is an economic multiplier," Magosi said, arguing that advancing a visa-free Africa is not merely a mobility reform, but a strategic economic transformation agenda aligned with continental priorities, including AfCFTA and African Union Agenda 2063.

To achieve this, the panelists called for accelerated political commitment, harmonization of immigration policies, enhanced border management systems, and greater coordination among regional economic communities.