The Republic of the Congo will waive visa requirements for all African nationals from 1 January 2027, following an announcement by President Denis Sassou-Nguesso during the opening day of the African Development Bank Group’s 2026 Annual Meetings in Brazzaville.
The announcement was made as African leaders, ministers, diplomats, investors, development partners, civil society representatives, youth leaders and private-sector stakeholders gathered at the Kintele Conference Centre to mark Africa Day.
Under the new measure, nationals of all African countries will be able to enter the Republic of the Congo without requiring a visa. President Sassou-Nguesso used the announcement to call for African countries to move beyond narrow national interests and accelerate regional integration through the practical implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
President Sassou-Nguesso also called for increased investment to support sustainable development. He noted that no African state could independently finance the scale of infrastructure required for transformation, pointing to the need for collective investment in roads, railways, airports, ports and energy systems.
Observed annually on 25 May, Africa Day commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa in 1963, which later became the African Union.
