Nigeria has been excluded from the Philippines government’s 30-day visa-free entry scheme for citizens of 46 African countries, introduced as part of the Southeast Asian country’s efforts to promote tourism and business travel.

Under the Executive Order No. 408 and subsequent amendments, citizens of 46 eligible African countries only need to hold passports valid for at least six months beyond their planned stay and have a return or onward ticket to enter the Philippines. 

While Nigeria was left out of the standard policy, the 46 African countries out of 54 included in the latest arrangements comprise South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Benin Republic, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad and Comoros. 

Others are Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Eswatini, Togo and Tunisia. 

Additionally, passport holders of the eligible countries who wish to stay longer in the Philippines can apply for an additional 29 days, allowing them to remain in the country for up to 59 days in total. The 46 African countries join nations from other continents covered by the visa-free policy.

Like Nigeria, citizens of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan are also ineligible for the broad visa-free scheme that covers 157 countries and therefore require a visa to travel to the Philippines.

Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the government wants to show that the Philippines is “open, accessible, and ready for greater tourism and investment.”

The Peoples Gazette reported in July that global migration organisation, Global Citizen Solutions, ranked the Nigerian passport 167th on its Global Passport Index.

The dataset released by the platform showed that the Nigerian passport ranked 185th out of 197 countries and territories on the ‘Enhanced Mobility Index,’136th on the ‘Investment Index’ and 145th on its ‘Quality of Life Index.’