Sierra Leone secured the 15th position among the top 20 passports in Africa, as revealed in a recent report by Henley and Partners. The comprehensive report highlights the strengths and weaknesses of various passports. Africa’s strongest passport remains Seychelles, maintaining its top position according to the Henley & Partners report released on Thursday.
Mauritius holds the second most influential passport in Africa, providing access to 150 destinations, maintaining its previous ranking. Globally, it slipped one place to 30th but increased its visa-free destinations by two. Lesotho and Namibia share the fifth spot, each offering passport holders access to 80 visa-free destinations, ranking 65th globally.
South Africa, positioned at 53rd globally, possesses the third most potent passport in Africa, granting visa-free access to 108 destinations—two more compared to the previous ranking. Botswana holds the fourth spot in Africa, with a passport enabling access to 91 destinations, climbing to 59th in the global ranking.
Eswatini holds the seventh position in Africa, with visa-free access to 78 destinations and a global ranking of 66th. Kenya and Malawi are tied at the eighth spot in Africa, each offering passport holders access to 76 destinations, and both countries share the 67th global ranking.
Tanzania rounds out Africa’s top ten, ranked 69th globally, with passport holders enjoying visa-less access to 73 countries. Henley & Partners emphasizes that their ranking relies on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and is supplemented by their research team.
Henley & Partners notes that income, along with factors like democracy, political stability, security, and reciprocity, plays a crucial role in determining passport strength. According to the consultancy firm, countries with higher gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, as per World Bank data, tend to have more visa-free destinations.
