An advocacy group, Trans-African Tourism and Unity Campaign, has criticised African governments for enforcing visa policies that, it says, undermine continental unity and economic growth.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday at the Ghana High Commission in Abuja, the campaign leader, Ras Mubarak, described travel restrictions within Africa as “a tragedy,” insisting that visa barriers are remnants of colonial divisions that frustrate tourism, trade, and free movement of people.
“Today, it is easier for a West African to obtain a Schengen visa than to secure visas for some African countries. It is easier for a Southern African to travel to Istanbul than to get a visa to The Gambia. That is the tragedy of our situation,” Mubarak said.
He noted that his team of eight had already spent $11,800 on visa fees for their ongoing 40,000-kilometre journey across 39 African countries to push for a visa-free continent. “That money could have been used to fuel our vehicles, buy food, or even souvenirs along the way,” he lamented.
Mubarak argued that scrapping visa restrictions would boost tourism, create jobs, expand trade, and foster deeper cultural understanding among Africans. He challenged governments to follow the examples of Kenya and Benin, which have abolished visa requirements for African nationals.
“Kenya has dismantled visa requirements for Africans. If Kenya can do it, what stops Ghana? What stops Nigeria?” he asked.
The activist also criticised the slow implementation of Ghana’s 2024 visa-free announcement, adding that corruption and extortion by border officials remain major obstacles to free movement.
He expressed disappointment with pan-African institutions, saying efforts to engage with the African Union, the East African Community, and the African Continental Free Trade Area had largely been ignored.
Despite this, Mubarak expressed optimism, stressing that change must come through grassroots mobilisation and public pressure.
“Change comes from the bottom. If we have the masses on our side, with sufficient pressure, we will make this happen,” he said.
On fears that visa-free travel could worsen insecurity or mass migration, Mubarak dismissed such claims as unfounded. “Nigerians have not flooded Benin. Nigerians have not overrun Ghana. The big brother of West Africa has not overrun its neighbours,” he argued.
The campaign has so far covered Ghana, Togo, and Benin, and is now in Nigeria. The team will continue through Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and other countries, before returning to Ghana in January 2026 after 163 days on the road.
