This year alone, Togo announced visa-free access for all African passport holders. That means Africans can enter the country without going through a visa application process. Ghana also introduced a free e-visa initiative during its Africa Day celebrations.

While the policy still requires travellers to apply before arrival, the application itself comes at no cost. The distinction matters because one removes the process entirely, while the other removes the financial burden.

Additionally, at the African Development Bank meetings in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo announced that from January 2027, Africans will no longer need visas to enter the country.

"As from the first of January 2027, nationals of all African countries will have visa-free access and will no longer need a visa to come to Congo," President Denis Sassou-Nguesso said .

Rwanda , Benin, Seychelles and The Gambia have already made similar moves in recent years, signalling a broader continental shift toward freer African movement.

But while many countries are opening doors, South Africa appears to be tightening its own.

In recent months, tensions surrounding African migrants and foreign-owned businesses have intensified in parts of South Africa. Groups of protesters and vigilantes have marched through cities such as Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria, accusing other Africans of contributing to unemployment, crime and economic hardship. Some businesses owned by fellow Africans have reportedly been attacked or threatened during these demonstrations.

This contrast has created an uncomfortable conversation across the continent.

South Africa’s concerns are not entirely disconnected from reality. The country faces serious economic pressures, including high unemployment , inequality and frustration among many citizens who feel left behind. But the challenge lies in how those frustrations are directed. When economic hardship turns into hostility against fellow Africans, it raises difficult questions about continental solidarity.

Ethiopia, located in the Horn of Africa, fiercely maintained its independence through military resistance, most famously by defeating the Italian army at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.

Despite a brief occupation by Fascist Italy from 1936 to 1941, Ethiopia was never formally colonised and retained its imperial structure under Emperor Haile Selassie.

Liberia, on the other hand, was founded in 1822 by freed African-American slaves under the auspices of the American Colonization Society . It declared independence in 1847 and remained free from European colonisation, although it was heavily influenced by American political and cultural norms.

Modern-day significance

The independence of Ethiopia and Liberia is more than a historical footnote—it continues to shape their national identities and regional roles today:

Cultural and psychological impact

The historical independence of Ethiopia and Liberia has had a profound cultural impact, serving as beacons of African resistance and resilience . Ethiopia, in particular, became a symbol of hope for Pan-African movements and Black liberation struggles across the globe, from Harlem to Johannesburg.

In Liberia, the preservation of indigenous identities alongside Americo-Liberian traditions has created a complex but uniquely self-governed African society that avoided the deep scars of European-imposed boundaries and rule.