Togo: Visa exemption for Africans – a step towards greater continental integration
Togo has just reached a historic milestone. Following the recent adoption of a decree by the Council of Ministers, African nationals no longer need a visa to enter Togolese territory. The measure places Lomé among the most open nations on the continent.
Initially announced by the Togolese President on the sidelines of the Biashara Africa Summit in Lomé, the reform was officially ratified on May 26, 2026.
In practice, any African citizen holding a valid passport or travel document now benefits from a visa exemption for a period of thirty days.
Caution is warranted, however: this freedom is not a free pass without controls. The Togolese government specifies that immigration formalities remain in place.
Entry may be refused to anyone posing a threat to public order, national security, or public health. Furthermore, prior registration on the platform voyage.gouv.tg, to be completed at least 24 hours before arrival, remains mandatory.
With this decision, Lomé joins a still-small circle of African countries that have instituted a visa-free policy for citizens of the continent.
These include Rwanda, Benin, Seychelles, Gambia, and Ghana; an avant-garde club on a continent where travel remains hindered.
According to the African Development Bank’s 2025 Africa Visa Openness Index, only 28.2% of intra-African travel was visa-free.
Togo’s ambition is clearly economic and diplomatic. The authorities aim to “strengthen economic, cultural, and tourism exchanges” and consolidate Togo’s position as a regional hub for business, tourism, and dialogue.
By facilitating the movement of people, Lomé is betting on openness to stimulate its development, a lesson for many African states that remain trapped by old administrative barriers. Togolese skies are clearing: welcome to Africans, free to travel.
Chantal TAWELESSI
