The Passport Index 2022 from the NGO Global Citizen Solutions shows that, this year, African passports are more powerful than in 2021. The easing of anti-Covid measures all over the world has helped a lot.
Since the end of confinement in most countries of the world, which announced the overall drop in new cases of Covid-19 infection, it is again possible to travel to destinations inaccessible since the start of the pandemic.
Africa is no exception. African passports recorded a slight uptick in their mobility scores — ie the number of countries accessible without a visa or with a visa on arrival. The latter ranged between 37 and 112 in October 2021, compared to 42 to 136 in May 2022, i.e. an average rank of 70.
However, the difference is significant between the passports which have already exceeded their "power" towards the end of 2019, i.e. before the pandemic, those which approach it without catching up with the previous level and those which are struggling to do so.
Nevertheless, the “best” passports in Africa remain the same, namely those of the Seychelles and Mauritius, followed by South Africa which narrows the gap. No surprise, either, at the level of passports with less mobility: those of Somalia, Libya and Eritrea.
2022 ranking of African passports
These African diplomacies that are going up the slope
Exactly three countries in Africa can boast new destinations for their nationals. First, Senegal, which has seen foreign borders open up at a very sustained pace. The Senegalese passport now gives access to two new destinations compared to the end of 2019: Haiti without a visa, and India with an electronic visa.
Then, Tunisia, whose passport allows visa-free travel to Japan, Brazil and South Africa. Three new major destinations, in addition to the upcoming reopening of common borders with the two immediate neighbours: Libya and Algeria.
Togo, which was struggling to recover from Covid-19, doubled the number of vaccinated to reach a quarter of its population. This has had an impact on the mobility of the Togolese passport, the third African passport to exceed its score at the end of 2019, with 61 countries accessible without a visa, including 2 new ones. Indeed, Togolese can travel visa-free to Ecuador and Saint-Vincent.
Moreover, access between African and South American countries was among the first to recover, long before travel within the same blocks in Africa. It should also be noted that member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are generally open for countries in West Africa and North Africa.
African passports with unexpected destinations
Other African passports have also seen a surge in power, not catching up to the pre-Covid level, but marking new accessible destinations. This is the case of the Moroccan passport, one of the four African passports allowing free travel in Hong Kong. Nationals of the Cherifian kingdom can also travel to Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil without a visa.
South Africa, with a global reach of 51% of all countries, and 101 mobility points, has the third most powerful passport in Africa. But it is also the only one allowing visa-free travel to Ireland and Thailand.
Big surprise, Mali goes up in the ranking with 58 mobility points, i.e. only one destination to be unlocked to be at the level of December 2019. The Malian passport also stands out with access to the two Polynesian archipelagos Tuvalu and Timor-Leste, for a electronic visa automatically given to Malian nationals. A rise in the Malian passport which also shows that despite ECOWAS sanctions and Western pressure, Malian diplomacy remains very active.