The Africa Prosperity Network (APN) has welcomed the Republic of Togo’s historic announcement to grant visa-free entry to all African citizens, effective 18 May 2026.
The decision, allowing 30-day visa-free access for holders of valid African passports, represents a powerful affirmation of the ‘Make Africa Borderless Now’ campaign and demonstrates that continental integration is becoming a top priority of governments in Africa.
From Vision to Action: President Gnassingbé’s Commitment
President Faure Gnassingbé’s decision builds on a vision he articulated at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) 2025, where he stated that his country’s commitment to Africa’s single market is a powerful enabler for empowering SMEs, women and youth entrepreneurs. Today’s announcement moves that vision further into concrete policy, enabling greater mobility and trade across the continent, beyond the ECOWAS region.
“Togo’s decision validates the momentum of the ‘Make Africa Borderless Now’ movement,” said Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Founder and Executive Chairman, APN. “As six African nations now lead in embracing visa-free travel, they send a clear message: integration is fast-moving beyond aspiration into an urgent imperative that today’s leaders are embracing with courage.”
We also commend the AfCFTA Secretariat for its efforts in championing the single market agenda.
Six Nations Leading the Way
With Togo’s announcement, six African nations have now formally committed to visa-free access for African citizens:
Rwanda, Benin, The Gambia, Seychelles, Togo and Ghana. Ghana is preparing to rollout her visa-free policy on 25 May 2026.
Progress, however, remains insufficient. The African Development Bank’s Visa Openness Index (AVOI) reveals that only 28.2% of intra-African travel routes are currently visa-free. Only four countries have so far ratified the African Union’s Free Movement Protocol, which was adopted in 2018; far short of the fifteen required for implementation. This represents a critical barrier to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the continental prosperity agenda.
The Case for Borderless Africa
The African Development Bank estimates that increased intra-African migration could boost each country’s GDP by approximately one per cent, a figure that, across 54 nations, would be transformative. Yet visa restrictions, rooted in fear, continue to fragment the continent. Free movement is essential to unlocking continental prosperity, enabling African entrepreneurs, traders, and citizens to move, work, and invest across borders without barriers.
The Africa Prosperity Network calls upon all remaining African nations to follow Togo’s example. We urge the African Union to accelerate ratification of the Free Movement Protocol and mobilise all member states toward comprehensive visa-free policies.
Join the Conversation: AU Day Webinar, 25 May 2026
APN will host a strategic webinar on Africa Union Day, 25 May 2026, at 14:00 GMT under the theme ‘Confronting Afrophobia Through Economic Integration: Advancing a Visa-Free Africa for Africans to Move, Connect and Trade Freely.’
The webinar will bring together African policymakers, civil society leaders, and business executives to accelerate the shift toward open borders, generate policy commitments, and mobilise signatures for presentation to AU leadership in February 2027.
To register to attend the webinar, visit: https://africaprosperitynetwork.com/2nd-borderless-webinar/
To donate or add your signature to support the movement, visit: www.makeafricaborderlessnow.com
