The Nigerian passport has been ranked among the worst on the globe posing huge challenges for Nigerian travellers seeking international mobility in terms of tourism, trade, visitation and asylum.
According to Global Power Rank, 2024, the country’s passport is ranked 15th globally, among the 159 countries, making it one of the weakest in the world, coming behind Congo, Cameroon, Chad and even Niger.
As it currently stands, according to the GPR report, there are only 54 countries that Nigerian passport can access, which are mainly ECOWAS, and some African countries. It also includes Oceania, and two countries in the Middle East; Iran and Lebanon.
Ironically, Nigeria, a country that prides itself as the giant of Africa, is not among the top 10 countries with the highest score in Africa but was rather listed among countries in the bottom rung of the ladder with the worst passport quality in the region.
The downward spiral of Nigeria in the passport rankings has been attributed to South Africa’s overtaking the country, according to the IMF report, as the largest economy in Africa with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $373.2 billion and followed by Egypy with GDP worth $347.6 billion. Nigeria now comes behind Algeria which has the GDP of $266.8 billion, placing Nigeria as number four in Africa!
According to the Henley Report, 2024, Nigeria is ranked 33rd globally in terms of corruption perception, coming behind Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia and Bangladesh. This scenario has rendered Nigerian passport among the worst 10 performing travel documents worldwide.
It has been observed by various analysts that the consistently low ranking underscores the pressing need for Nigeria to address her underlying perennial issues affecting its passport’s global standing.
