Ghana ranked fifth most ‘visa-open’ country in Africa
The African Union Commission and the African Development Bank’s 2019 report has ranked Ghana ‘fifth’ most visa-open country on the African continent.
Ghana rose to fifth on the ranking after placing seventh in 2018, sixth in 2017 and 22nd in 2016.
According to the report, African countries are becoming increasingly open to
visitors from across the continent.
The latest report asserts that majority of countries and regions are making steady progress on all visa openness indicators.
This fourth edition of the Index shows that 47 countries improved or maintained their visa openness scores this year.
The report, however, credits Ghana’s rise this year to government’s publicized commitment to allow Africans liberal access to the country in 2016.
“Ghana continues to champion regional integration efforts. In May 2018, the country ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), having also signed up to the Single African Air Transport Market and the Free Movement of Persons Protocol,” the report stated.
The report also shows that on the average, since 2016, African travelers can get visas on arrival in more African countries, and they can travel visa-free to a quarter of the continent.
It noted that for the first time, Africans have liberal access to 51% of the continent and need visas to travel to less than half of other African countries.
Again, this years’ report on Africa Visa Openness Index reveals African travelers from 18 countries require no visa to visit Ghana while nationals of some 34 African countries can be issued with a visa on arrival in the said country.
Currently, 21 African countries also offer eVisas to make travel more accessible, up from 16 in 2018, 13 in 2017, and 9 in 2016.
Nine out of the top 20 countries offer eVisas.
Two-thirds of the countries that offer eVisas improved their visa openness scores the most since 2016 or remained in the top 20.
And 64% of countries that improved their visa openness scores the most since 2016 or remained in the top 20 introduced eVisas in the last three years.
Moving forward, the group advised that championing greater visa openness across Africa will help to capitalize on the gains to be realized from the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Single African Air Transport Market and the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons.
Find below the report
