Seychelles, Mauritius And South Africa Ranked Africa’s Top Three Countries With The Most Powerful Passports

It is easiest for citizens of Seychelles, Mauritius or South Africa to travel around the world with their international passports than any other countries in Africa. The Henley Passport Index, released on 7 January 2020, indicates that Seychelles’ passport is the 29th most powerful in the world, having the ability to give the citizens of the East African country free visas to 151 countries (including China, Russia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Schengen Area, the United Kingdom etc.). Closely following Seychelles is another East African country Mauritius which is ranked 32th most powerful in the world, granting the citizens of the country free visas to 146 countries in the world (including China, Russia, Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, etc.) South Africa is 3rd in Africa and 56th in the world, with free visas to 100 countries in the world. South Africa slipped three places down from the previous ranking and the worst performance since the Henley Passport Index was introduced in 2006.

Here Is All You Need To Know

Henley’s rankings are based on the number of destinations that a passport holder can access without a prior visa‚ based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and research by Henley & Associates.

Japan ranks first in the latest index, with its citizens able to gain visa-free access to 191 destinations. Singapore is second with 190 destinations. Germany and South Korea are joint third (189 destinations each).

Botswana (84th place) is the number 4 in Africa. The lowest-ranked African nations are Somalia (104th), Libya (102nd) and Sudan (100th).

Nigeria is the country whose ranking fell the most over the past decade. Its passport was ranked 76th in 2010 and now stands at 95th in 2020. The decade’s other big African losers are Sierra Leone, Libya and Gambia.

Importance of high integrity rating

The report’s authors point out those countries with high integrity ratings, strong institutions and a stable political environment are more likely to rate highly on the index as they are able to sign more visa-waiver agreements with other nations.

“It is not surprising that countries which have lower passport power also have lower government integrity scores. For instance‚ the South African passport is ranked 56th on the Henley Index and has a government integrity score of 39.7 out of 100,” the author’s noted.

“These results imply that governments associated with relatively high corruption have difficulties increasing their visa-free destinations‚ while high-functioning states are likely to have stronger passports

The continual decline in the power of the South African passport will likely increase the already high number of citizens seeking a second passport for business and personal reasons.

Passports of convenience

Facilitating additional passports through various types of investment has become a thriving industry.

Many countries now offer relatively easy residency, leading to citizenship for South Africans willing to invest in property or business development programmes. Among those offering so-called “golden visa” schemes are Portugal, Cyprus, Malta, Mauritius, Granada, St. Kitts & Nevis, Dominica and Antigua.

Best passports to hold:

1. Japan (191 destinations)
2. Singapore (190)
3. South Korea, Germany (189)
4. Italy, Finland (188)
5. Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark (187)

Worst passports to hold:

103. Yemen (33)
104. Somalia, Pakistan (32)
105. Syria (29)
106. Iraq (28)
107. Afghanistan (26)

Below Is The Breakdown of African Countries’ Performance On The Henley Passport Index

S/N	African Countries	Global Ranking	Ranking In Africa	Number of Countries Citizens Can Visit On Free Visa
1	Seychelles	29^th	1^st	151
2	Mauritius	32^nd	2^nd	146
3	South Africa	56^th	3^rd	100
4	Botswana	62^nd	4^th	84
5	Namibia	67^th	5^th	76
6	Lesotho	69^th	6^th	74
7	Eswatini (Swaziland)	70^th	7^th	73
8	Malawi	71^st	8^th	72
9	Kenya	72^nd	9^th	71
10	Zambia	73^rd	10^th	70
11	Tanzania	73^rd	10^th	70
12	Tunisia	74^th	11^th	69
13	Gambia	75^th	12^th	68
14	Uganda	77^th	13^th	66
15	Cape Verde Islands	77^th	13^th	66
16	Ghana	78^th	14^th	65
17	Zimbabwe	79^th	15^th	64
18	Sierra Leone	80^th	16^th	63
19	Morocco	80^th	16^th	63
20	Benin	81^st	17^th	62
21	Sao Tome And Principe	82^nd	18^th	61
22	Mozambique	82^nd	18^th	61
23	Rwanda	83^rd	19^th	59
24	Burkina Faso	83^rd	19^th	59
25	Mauritania	84^th	20^th	58
26	Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)	85^th	21^st	57
27	Senegal	86^th	22^nd	56
28	Gabon	86^th	22^nd	56
29	Togo	87^th	23rd	55
30	Guinea	87^th	23^rd	55
31	Niger	88^th	24^th	54
32	Mali	88^th	24^th	54
33	Madagascar	88^th	24^th	54
34	Guinea-Bissau	89^th	25^th	53
35	Equatorial Guinea	89^th	25^th	53
36	Comoros Islands	89^th	25^th	53
37	Chad	89^th	25^th	53
38	Central African Republic	91^st	26^th	51
39	Algeria	92^nd	27^th	50
40	Liberia	93^rd	28^th	49
41	Egypt	93^rd	28^th	49
42	Cameroon	93^rd	28^th	49
43	Burundi	93^rd	28^th	49
44	Angola	93^rd	28^th	49
45	Congo (Rep)	94^th	29^th	47
46	Nigeria	95^th	30^th	46
47	Djibouti	95^th	30^th	46
48	South Sudan	96^th	31^st	43
49	Ethiopia	96^th	31^st	43
50	Eritrea	98^th	32^nd	41
51	Congo (DRC)	98^th	32^nd	41
52	Sudan	100^th	33^rd	39
53	Libya	102^nd	34^th	37
54	Somalia	104^th	35^th	32

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award winning writer.
He could be contacted at udohrapulu@gmail.com

Tags: Danny Faure, passport, President Seychelles

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