NATIONAL: Nigeria ranked 97 on ‘best passports to have’ world list

*Holders can access 46 destinations visa-free

*Ranked 42 in Africa, below S/Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, others

THE Nigerian passport has been ranked 97th in the world according to the results from Henley Passport Index for the year 2021.

The Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

The new ranking offers a fascinating insights into what globetrotters are likely to face in the new year, particularly against the background of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic which has not just disrupted but significantly altered global activities and relations.

With this new ranking, holders of the Nigerian passport will have visa-free access to 46 destinations.

Nigeria is 42 in Africa far behind South Africa which tops the Africa’s list but 54th in the world with visa-free access to 101 destinations.

Other African countries with better rankings than Nigeria on the list are Namibia placed on 68; Lesotho 69, Malawi 72, Kenya 73 and Tanzania 74.

Sitting atop of the rankings globally is Japan with passport holders able to access 191 destinations around the world visa-free.

The Asian country is not new to the position as this marks the third consecutive year that it has held the top spot, either alone or jointly with Singapore.

Asia Pacific (APAC) region countries’ dominance of the index, which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) ,  now seems firmly established.

Singapore sits in 2nd position, with access to 190 destinations, and South Korea holds onto 3rd place alongside Germany, with both having a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 189.

Slightly further down but still in the top 10, New Zealand is in 7th position, with visa-free access to 185 destinations, while Australia is in 8th position, with access to 184 destinations.

The ascendance of APAC countries in the Henley Passport Index rankings is a relatively new phenomenon.

 Over the index’s 16-year history, the top spots were traditionally held by EU countries, the UK, or the US, and experts suggest that the APAC region’s position of strength will continue as it includes some of the first countries to begin the process of recovering from the pandemic.

With the US and the UK still facing significant challenges related to the virus, and the passport strength of both countries continuing to steadily erode, the balance of power is shifting.

Over the past seven years, the US passport has fallen from the number one spot to 7th place, a position it currently shares with the UK.

Due to pandemic-related travel constraints, travelers from both the UK and the US currently face major restrictions from over 105 countries, with US passport holders able to travel to fewer than 75 destinations, while UK passport holders currently have access to fewer than 70.

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of leading residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners and the inventor of the passport index concept, says that the latest ranking provides an opportunity to reflect on the extraordinary upheaval that characterised 2020.

“Just a year ago all indications were that the rates of global mobility would continue to rise, that travel freedom would increase, and that holders of powerful passports would enjoy more access than ever before.

“The global lockdown negated these glowing projections, and as restrictions begin to lift, the results from the latest index are a reminder of what passport power really means in a world upended by the pandemic.”

With the first Covid-19 vaccine approved just over a month ago, airline industry experts believe that mandatory vaccination before air travel may soon be a necessity.

A technological innovation scheduled to launch in Q1 2021 that will contribute to restoring global mobility is IATA’s Travel Pass initiative — a mobile application that enables travellers to store and manage their verified certifications for Covid-19 tests or vaccines.