The strength of a passport is an important measure of international mobility, as it determines how easily citizens can travel to other countries without having to obtain a visa before departure.
Across Africa, there is a significant difference in the level of travel access offered by different passports. While some African countries provide their citizens with access to dozens of destinations without a prior visa, others have considerably fewer options.
Recent passport rankings highlight this disparity, with several African countries occupying the lower end of global mobility rankings.
Countries such as Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia are among those with the weakest passports on the continent in recent rankings. Other countries appearing near the bottom include Guinea-Bissau, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Libya, Eritrea and South Sudan.
The strength of a passport is generally assessed by the number of destinations its holders can enter without obtaining a traditional visa in advance. Visa-free access and visa-on-arrival arrangements can significantly reduce the time, cost and paperwork associated with international travel.
Countries with the weakest passports
Somalia occupies the bottom position in the latest IziVisas Passport Barometer cited in recent reporting, with relatively limited international travel access.
Sudan and Ethiopia also rank among the continent’s weakest passports. Their positions are influenced by a combination of limited visa agreements and wider political and security circumstances.
Other countries in the lower group include Guinea-Bissau, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Libya, Eritrea and South Sudan.
The rankings illustrate the wide gap in travel opportunities across Africa. While some passports provide access to more than 100 destinations, citizens of countries at the bottom of the rankings may have to obtain visas for most international destinations.
Ghana, however, is not among Africa’s 10 weakest passports.
According to the July 2026 Henley Passport Index data reported by Legit.ng, Ghana ranked 12th in Africa and 70th globally, with access to 67 destinations through visa-free or visa-on-arrival arrangements.
This places Ghana ahead of a large number of African countries in terms of international mobility.
The Ghanaian passport nevertheless remains some distance behind the continent’s strongest passports. South Africa leads the African ranking in the cited Henley data, followed by Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini and Morocco.
Passport strength can change over time as countries negotiate new visa-waiver agreements or introduce changes to their immigration policies. Diplomatic relations, security concerns, migration patterns and international cooperation can all influence the travel privileges granted to passport holders.
For African countries, improving passport strength can therefore provide citizens with greater opportunities for tourism, education, business and international engagement.
The rankings also demonstrate that passport mobility is not uniform across the continent. Citizens of some countries enjoy significantly greater freedom of movement than others, while many African travellers continue to face visa requirements when seeking to visit major international destinations.
For Ghanaian travellers, the country’s position among the stronger passports in Africa offers a relatively favourable level of mobility, although many popular destinations still require advance visa applications.
The continued expansion of visa-waiver agreements and stronger diplomatic relationships could further improve travel opportunities for Ghanaian passport holders in the future.
Source: Thepressradio.com
