According to the recently released 2020 Africa Visa Openness Index, Uganda has been ranked seventh in Africa when it comes to letting in African visitors to the country.
The Africa Visa Openness Index measures the extent to which African countries are open to travelers from other African countries when it comes to visas by looking at what they ask of the citizens when they travel into their territories.
Talking of a Visa, it is an endorsement through a certificate or stamp in a travel document showing that a particular visitor is allowed to enter a country for a specific length of time and for specific activities usually issued out by embassies and consulates of desired countries of travel situated in the country of origin.
The index tracks changes in the country scores over time to show which countries are making improvements that support people’s freer movement across Africa.
The 2020 Visa Openness Index shows that African borders are increasingly opening up to African citizens, as year-on-year progress is made to support the freer movement of people. African travelers have liberal access to travel to a record 54% of the continent, up by 90% since 2016 and can travel visa-free or get a visa on arrival in their destination.
Concurrently, fewer African countries are requesting visitors to have a visa prior to travel. Others, however, are now offering visa-free access to all African visitors. Gambia joins Seychelles and Benin at the top of the 2020 Index, having removed the need for any visa.
Meanwhile, the number of countries on the continent offering e-Visa for African travelers also continues to rise, with 44% of countries hosting an online platform, up for 17% in 2016. Most e-Visa countries are either in the top scoring countries on the index or have made the most progress on the index, and have introduced their e-Visa policies in the last four years.
Three top ranked countries Seychelles, Gambia and Benin do not ask for visas from African citizens visiting their countries. Senegal ranked fourth on the continent, requires visitors from 22 African countries to visit without a visa while travelers from 31 countries on the continent can access a visa on arrival.
Uganda is ranked just before Seychelles, Benin, Gambia, Senegal, Ghana and Rwanda. Uganda requires no visa for citizens of 18 African countries to visit while citizens of 34 other African states can get a visa on arrival.
Never the less, despite the big improvement in visa openness, analysts say the policies geared towards easing freedom of movement remain a work in progress across the continent.
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