Africa Visa Openness Index
The AVOI measures the extent to which African countries are open to visitors from other African countries. The AVOI analyses each country’s visa requirements to show which African countries most facilitate travel to their territory.
For each country, the AVOI calculates the number of African countries whose citizens must obtain a visa before travelling there, the number of countries whose citizens may obtain a visa upon arrival, and the number of countries whose citizens can enter visa-free. Each country is then assigned an AVOI score and ranked accordingly.
First published in 2016, the AVOI also tracks changes in countries’ scores over time. It does the same for the eight AU-recognised RECs. The report analyses these trends in light of other developments in Africa and in the world.
Data for this year’s edition was collected in July and August 2025. As is the case with all previous editions, the main source of data and information was the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Integrate Africa
“The Four Cardinal Points represent not only a framework for action, but a metaphor for our journey. Africa must look north, south, east and west. Not to imitate, but to draw wisdom and strength from each direction, while charting its own course.
Like a navigator guided by a compass, the African Development Bank Group should help Africa navigate toward greater resilience, ambition and sustainability.” 1
Swearing-in Speech of Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, 9th President of the African Development Bank Group
The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group was established to promote regional integration in Africa. For six decades, it has invested in unlocking Africa’s potential, in partnership with others, to tackle deep-rooted challenges. Advancing regional integration is a core part of the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (TYS 2024–2033). This is to be attained through investing in integrated regional
infrastructure, intra-African trade and financial integration. Facilitating the movement of people across Africa’s borders cuts across all these aspects and remains a cornerstone of the Bank’s efforts to advance the African Union’s (AU) vision to create the world’s largest single market in Africa, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which has entered its operational stage.
A new strategic vision – known as the Four Cardinal Points – deepens and refines the TYS by focusing on four interlinked priorities.2
· Mobilize Africa’s Capital
· Reform and Consolidate Africa’s Financial Architecture
· Harness Demographic Dividends
· Build Climate-Resilient Infrastructure and Add Real Value to Africa’s Natural Resources
In mobilizing Africa’s capital and creating a cohesive financial architecture that can invest at scale in Africa’s development, the Bank positions itself on a stronger footing to support Africa’s renewal, turn its demographics into a dividend, create millions of jobs through industrialization, and build resilient infrastructure that powers the AfCFTA and meets people’s growing needs.
2 afdb.org/en/president-new-page/biography-new/presidents-vision