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Grace Arthur is a consultant at Henley & Partners Ghana.
In the global mobility sphere, acquiring additional residences and citizenships has evolved from accessing travel freedom to leveraging economic opportunity and security. This is particularly the case in Africa, where passport power varies widely, reflecting the complex dynamics of historical legacies, geopolitics, and evolving national policies. While a small number of African countries offer moderately high visa-free travel access, most of the continent remains constrained by limited visa-free arrangements, resulting in restricted freedom of movement and an inability to engage economically or participate in global markets.
As wealth grows across the continent, a growing cohort of countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa have expanding middle- and upper-class populations seeking international mobility — not just for tourism but for education, business, and security of family assets.
The Henley Passport Power Index reveals that African citizens experience significantly constrained economic mobility owing to the limitations imposed by their passports. Compared to more economically advanced nations, citizens of African countries face significant obstacles when it comes to gaining access to a greater share of global GDP. This illustrates how our passports can determine our financial freedom in terms of how they impact on our ability to freely travel to conferences or trade fairs abroad, explore business ventures in other countries, or participate in multi-national trade opportunities. Often, by virtue of not being able to travel at short notice, African entrepreneurs and investors are left out of lucrative global markets, which stunts their economic growth and financial prosperity.
South Africa, which enjoys the top spot in the continent’s wealthiest countries list, has a passport that grants access to over 100 destinations without the need to obtain a visa in advance. South Africans enjoy relatively higher travel mobility than most other Africans but their passport only enables visa-free travel to 15.5% of global GDP. The discrepancy between visa-free access and economic influence is substantial. Of the 41,100 millionaires living in the country, those who hold only a South African passport must jump through challenging foreign policy hoops to gain access to the other 84% of the world’s economic power.
To the east of the continent, Kenyan passport holders can travel to 71 destinations and 5% of global GDP visa-free, while to the west, Ghanaians can access 69 destinations and 4% of global GDP — further evidence of the significant gap between travel freedom and economic access that Africans endure, and underscoring the value of enhancing passport power, which can be achieved through investment migration programs.
For example, through opting for Grenada’s Citizenship by Investment Program, a business-minded Ghanaian family can increase their visa-free access from 69 to 161 destinations. Their access to global GDP (namely, Economic Mobility Score) jumps from 3.7% to 53.6%, meaning they gain ease of travel to over half the world’s GDP — including key destinations such as Europe’s Schengen Area, China, Hong Kong (SAR China), Singapore, and the UK.
The mobility gap is even wider for citizens of Burkina Faso and Nigeria. With visa-free access to just 59 and 54 destinations and Economic Mobility Scores of 3.7% and 1.4%, respectively, opportunities are extremely limited. Acquiring a second citizenship — such as from Antigua and Barbuda, which enables visa-free travel to 152 destinations and 52.4% of global GDP — will improve their travel freedom and also provide peace of mind amid ongoing regional uncertainty.
Africans’ lack of visa-free access restricts the flow of talent and skills, hindering innovation and collaboration on the continent and internationally. African professionals seeking career advancement, or their children keen to pursue educational opportunities abroad, are often daunted by lengthy visa application processes and uncertainty regarding their approval. For example, African applicants face significantly higher rejection rates than the global average for Europe’s Schengen Area visas. This ‘brain constrain’ deprives different regions of valuable human capital and slows progress towards building a competitive knowledge-based economy.
Education remains one of the top motivators for mobility among African investors, who are increasingly investing in global access strategies to secure residence options that increase the chance of university placements and scholarship opportunities for their children in notable education hubs such as the USA, Canada, the UK, and Europe.
Despite the many challenges, opportunities for innovation and collaboration abound on the continent. The African Union's (AU) Agenda 2063 highlights its vision for seamless travel and economic integration. Now in its 10th year, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) holds great potential with its initiatives to boost trade, investment, and integration and also offers a platform to harmonize passport regulations and streamline mobility across African borders, which are much needed to ensure its success.
Initiatives such as the ‘African passport’, envisioned by the AU, symbolize Africa's commitment to fostering intracontinental mobility. Ghana recently endorsed the Trans African Tourism and Unity Campaign, which aims to abolish visa restrictions for African citizens traveling in the continent to encourage tourism, increase trade, and foster connections.
Of Africa’s 54 countries, 13 have already enabled visa-free access to their borders for all African citizens (namely, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde Islands, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Seychelles), which will bolster their economic resilience and enhance regional integration, aligning with the AU’s vision for a prosperous and interconnected Africa.
On a global scale, affluent African investors can mitigate the limitations presented by their passports by investing in residence and citizenship programs, which are a pathway to additional residence permits and citizenships, all of which come with varying degrees of travel freedom. In this way, wealthy families can safeguard their assets and engage globally when it comes to education, healthcare, lifestyle, and opportunity.
This growing shift — especially among successful Ghanaians and other wealth West Africans — reflects a mindset of proactive global positioning. Many now view global citizenship not just as a pathway to relocation, but as an asset class — one that expands opportunity for their businesses and families, secures freedom of choice in education and residence, and enhances economic leverage through access to stable jurisdictions, global networks, and international financial systems.
The trend is no longer just about having a Plan B, but also about securing Plans C and D. The strategic investor is seeking a multi-jurisdictional lifestyle — one that protects legacy, ensures continuity, and unlocks borderless opportunity.
The rise of strategic residence and citizenship by investment among African investors marks a shift from survival to sovereignty. For countries like Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and beyond, the demand for global access reflects a recalibration of identity. These investors are not turning their backs on Africa, they are expanding its footprint, forging connections, and unlocking capital on a global scale.
As the continent continues to grow in influence, its people are rewriting what it means to belong — not only to a nation, but to the world. By leveraging investment migration programs, forward-thinking Africans are gaining second chances at opportunity, growth, and legacy along with their second passports.
Note: Visa-free, visa-on-arrival, and eTA rules can be updated, amended, or adjusted at any time due to changes in diplomatic, security, health, migration, or reciprocal policies.
Henley & Partners assists international clients in obtaining residence and citizenship under the respective programs. Contact us to arrange an initial private consultation.
