Yet again, Nigeria’s “pali” is not tracking globally.
The Visa-Free Index is an assessment of the value of a country’s passport based on the number of countries the passport holder can access without visas or with a visa on arrival.
Nigeria ranked 100th out of 112 in the global ranking of visa-free countries. This position is jointly held by Nigeria and Ethiopia. In Africa, Nigeria occupies the 23rd position and the 13th position in West Africa.
The Henley & Partners ranked countries with data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). These countries were ranked based on the country’s passport power, scoring each passport on the number of destinations a holder of such a passport can access visa-free.
Visa-free, refers to access to different countries without applying for a visa before travelling or ability to get a visa on arrival, a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) upon entry.
Nigeria scored 46 in the index to occupy the 100th position of the 112 countries. Although the country improved from the 2021 rank by three points as it moved from 103 to 100, in 26 years between 2006 and 2022, the country has gone down by 38 positions from 62nd in 2006 to 100th in 2022. This means that the Nigerian passport has increasingly lost access to more countries it can go visa free between 2006 and 2022.
Based on the latest ranking, a Nigerian passport can only freely access 46 countries without a visa. The visa can access 8 countries in Oceania, including Fiji, Palau Island, and Cook Island. Two countries in the Middle East, Iran and Lebanon, are accessible visa-free.
Only five countries in the Caribbean can be accessed, including Dominica, Haiti, and Montserrat. The passport can access three Asian countries and 28 African countries visa free.
Across African countries, South Africa placed top in the continent, scoring 105. This earned it 55th place globally. Botswana scored 87 to be placed 65th globally and 2nd in Africa.
Tunisia, The Gambia, and Cape Verde Island completed the top five positions in Africa. These countries scored 71, 69, and 67 to achieve this feat. Tunisia occupies the 77th position globally, The Gambia 79th, and Cape Verde Island 80th.
The Gambia, 4th on the continent, topped the region in the West-African sub-region.
Ghana is in second place in West Africa and 7th in the entire continent, scoring 65 and placing 82nd globally. Sierra Leone, Benin, and Mauritania place in the 83rd, 85th and 87th positions globally to complete the top five places in West Africa. In the continent, these countries are ranked 8th, 10th, and 12th.
The giant of Africa placed 23rd in the continent, and 13th place in West Africa.
Japan topped other countries with the index’s visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 193. Singapore and South Korea come in joint-2nd place, scoring 192.
With a score of 27, Afghanistan occupies the last place in the ranking.