From 1 January 2027, Chad will abolish the visa requirement for African nationals. This move, officially announced by the President of the Republic, Marshal Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, at the opening of the African Water Forum in N’Djamena, is intended as an act of ‘African solidarity’ and a contribution to the continent’s integration. It also raises questions surrounding security, diplomacy and the governance of mobility. In this new podcast from Dialogue Migration, political scientist and researcher Yamingué Betimbaye analyses the challenges posed by this reform and its ramifications for Chad and the African continent.
Located in the heart of the continent, bordering Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic, Chad is often portrayed as a country at the centre of regional humanitarian crises, hosting more than a million refugees. However, this new policy serves as a reminder that it is also a space of constant movement, where traders, transhumant herders, students, researchers, transport operators and humanitarian workers cross the borders on a daily basis.
The announcement thus breaks with a widely held misconception that continued mobility would inevitably lead to insecurity. On the contrary, it is in line with the Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which view the free movement of people as a driver of economic integration on the basis of parity with the movement of goods and capital.
Through this decision, Chad joins a still small group of African countries that have decided to fully open their borders to citizens of the continent, alongside Benin, The Gambia, Rwanda, the Seychelles and Ghana. The Republic of the Congo also plans to implement a similar policy from 1st January 2027, whilst Kenya, Togo and Burkina Faso have recently eased entry requirements for African nationals. If these reforms come into force as planned, around ten African countries will offer a complete visa exemption by 2027.
