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Africans have liberal visa access to 51% of other African countries – the first time the 50% threshold has been passed, according to the 2019 Visa Openness Index – an initiative by the African Development Bank and African Union to accelerate free movement on the continent. This is up from 45% in 2016.

Forty-seven countries have maintained or improved visa access in the last 12 months, ranging from visas on arrivals, to electronic visas, and scrapping them entirely.

It’s a positive trend on a continent notorious for barriers to regional integration, constraining intra-African trade to around 17% – the lowest globally. The momentum is good news for efforts to get the African Continental Free Trade Agreement off the ground.

While encouraging, progress is relatively slow. The percentage of countries offering visa-free travel has risen just 5% since 2016 to 25%, the same as in 2018, while visas on arrival have risen just 1% to 26% in the same period.

Progress is also uneven. East and West Africa are showing the most momentum, with 45% and 35% of countries respectively making headway, with Southern and North Africa at just 15% and 5% respectively.

Some of the bigger economies are also dragging their feet, with Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa scoring low on the index.

That said, it’s progress.

This report reflects the views of the author alone, not those of How we made it in Africa.

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Today’s picks

From the continent

Kenya and Somalia have agreed to normalise bilateral relations amid an ongoing maritime boundary dispute over offshore oil rights. Somalia sued Kenya at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2014 over the dispute, with the case due for a public hearing in June 2020. More: Daily Nation

Nigeria, Benin, and Niger have agreed to establish a joint border patrol force to curb smuggling between the three countries. This follows Nigeria’s decision to close its land borders to all cross-border trade in October. More: Reuters

The global perspective

Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are setting up a joint $20 billion investment platform to fund social and economic projects in both countries. The initiative will be managed through Egypt’s sovereign wealth fund and Abu Dhabi Development Holding Co. More: The National

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said the global effort against Islamic State should shift its focus to West Africa’s Sahel region. This comes amid failing international efforts to tackle escalating Islamist militancy in the region. More: Arab News

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