East African passports among most powerful in Africa says study
The East Africa Member states have the most powerful passports in Africa outside South Africa with Kenya’s being the strongest allowing its citizens to travel to 65 countries in the world according to a 2016 Index by World Economic Forum.
Tanzania passport is the second most powerful allowing Tanzanians to travel to 62 countries while Ugandans can travel to 58 countries without a visa.
The power of a passport is measured in terms of the number of countries one can travel to visa free.
Kenyans can travel to 65 countries in the world while Tanzanians can travel to 62 countries with Ugandans able to travel to 58 countries around the world without a visa.
Nigerians can only travel to 44 countries in the world with Senegalese being able to travel to 56 countries, Ghana 61, and 51 for Sierra Leone. The nationals of Mauritania can travel to 54 countries.
South Africans lead the continent with access to 91 destinations visa free.
The strength of the passport depicts a country’s diplomatic strength and also its tourism potential. Somalis can travel to 31 countries.
The 2016 ranking puts Germany and Sweden at the top of the passport league. Holders of German and Swedish passports can visit 158 countries without the need for a visa.
“The least powerful passports are issued by poor countries, often mired in conflict. The people of Afghanistan can only visit 24 countries without applying for a visa,” WEF said in the latest survey.
Pakistan fares little better, with just 31 countries offering visa-free travel. The passport of the world’s newest nation, strife-torn South Sudan, only allows visa-free access to 36 countries.
