By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, has called on African governments to adopt visa-on-arrival policies for all African citizens, arguing that easier cross-border travel is essential to boosting intra-African trade and economic growth.
Speaking on the GTV Breakfast Show on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Mr Mene said Africa’s slow progress in implementing the African Union’s Protocol on Free Movement of Persons continues to undermine the continent’s economic integration agenda.
According to him, although the protocol was adopted nearly a decade ago, only four African countries have ratified it, with Ghana among them.
“We’re making very, very slow progress in the free movement of persons in Africa. We have a long way to go in facilitating the movement of people across the continent,” he said.
Mr Mene stressed that easing travel restrictions is not simply about migration but also about creating opportunities for trade, investment and regional economic cooperation.
Drawing comparisons with the European Union, he said the free movement of people has played a significant role in expanding trade among member states.
“Free movement of persons, distinct from labour migration, contributes materially to increasing intra-regional trade,” he noted.
Despite the slow pace of ratification of the AU protocol, Mr Mene said several African countries have taken independent steps to ease travel restrictions by introducing visa-on-arrival or visa-free entry for holders of African passports.
He cited Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Togo and the Republic of the Congo as countries that have adopted more open travel policies.
Mr Mene singled out Ghana’s visa-on-arrival policy as a positive example of efforts to promote regional integration and encourage greater movement of people across the continent.
He expressed optimism that more African countries would follow the example of these early adopters and eventually embrace the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons as a continental standard.
“That is the direction I hope more and more countries will adopt,” he said.
Mr Mene maintained that removing barriers to travel is critical to unlocking the full potential of the AfCFTA and advancing Africa’s broader economic integration agenda.
