Visa Rejection on Africa: The Paradox of Limited Mobility in Africa–Europe Relations
Prof. Mehari Taddele Maru Prof. Mehari Taddele Maru is a part-time Professor at the School of Transnational Governance, and Academic Coordinator of the Young African Leaders Program (YALP) at the European University Institute in Florence, and an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna. Africa’s richest individual, Aliko Dangote, needs 35 visas to travel in Africa, leaving him shackled by the very borders he sought to bridge with his vast business empire. This perplexing paradox is all too familiar to Africans — a continent desperately seeking investors yet denying its citizens the freedom to move between its own borders. Even at home, nationals of African countries have limited destinations they can access without requiring a visa. According to the African Development Bank’s 2023 Africa Visa Openness Report, African travelers are required to obtain visas to visit 55% of other African countries. While there has been an improvement…