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Claim: A Facebook user shared a screenshot of an X user who said South Africa’s passport is the most powerful in Africa despite costing less than Nigeria’s new rate.
Verdict: FALSE. As of 2025, Seychelles’ passport tops the chart with visa-free access to 104 countries, compared to South Africa’s 63-country list of visa-free access countries.
Full Text
The Nigerian Immigration Service announced that the Federal Government has increased passport fees, effective September 1, 2025. A 32-page five-year-valid passport booklet, which previously cost N50,000, and a 64-page booklet with a 10-year validity period, which initially cost N100,000, will now cost N100,000 and N200,000, respectively.
The increment came barely a year after the institution increased the fees from N35,000 to N50,000 for a 32-page booklet valid for five years. The cost for a 64-page booklet valid for 10 years also surged from N70,000 to N100,000 within the period.
Many Nigerians, including opposition leaders like Peter Obi, criticised the fee hike, stating that it places more burdens on average Nigerians.
A Facebook user, Leonardo Medici, shared a screenshot on Sept. 1, 2025, and urged Nigerians to share the post when they encounter migration debates. The screenshot from an X account @felixherbt listed a series of claims on the cost of acquiring an international passport in South Africa. The X user also said South Africa’s passport is the most powerful in Africa.
As of Sept. 8, 2025, the post had garnered 260 reactions, 101 comments, and 21 reshares.
DUBAWA found differing opinions in the comment section. Other Facebook users who reacted to the post were split on believing the quoted statistics in the claim, though many agreed with the broader context in the post.
Enwerem Chukwuka, corroborating the claim, said, “If I have the power, I’ll make it possible for any young person who wishes to leave Nigeria.”
Michael Joel said, “Poorer nations have a greater propensity to rob their citizens.”
In opposition, Martins Makaja said, “S do not boast the most powerful passport in Africa though.”
Alexander Izu said, “His points are valid, but the South African passport is not the most powerful in Africa. Seychelles has the most powerful, followed by Mauritius, before South Africa.”
The differing comments prompted DUBAWA to fact-check the claim.
Verification
The Global Passport Power Ranking, an interactive tool that ranks countries based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), placed Seychelles 20th globally, the highest in Africa.
The country, reputed for its luxury travels and eco-tourism attractions, enjoys visa-free access to 104 countries worldwide. Also, 45 countries can provide a visa for Seychellois upon arrival, while 49 countries require the travellers to process their visa before travelling.
South Africa, ranked 49th globally, only enjoys visa-free access to 63 countries, while 88 countries require South Africans to acquire a visa before entering. The index also revealed that 47 countries will provide a visa for South Africans upon arrival. With a mobility score (MS) of 110, South Africa stays third among African countries on the list, bettered by Mauritius (141 MS) and Seychelles (149 MS).
Nigeria, in contrast, requires a visa to 144 countries, while 27 countries can provide a visa upon arrival. Only 27 countries, mostly West African countries, grant visa-free access to Nigerians, placing the country’s passport power in 92nd position worldwide.
While Nigeria’s poor performance on the passport power index, with a mobility score of 54, validates the context of the claim, the information provided for South Africa misleads social media users.
DUBAWA used keyword searches to fact-check other claims in the post. We discovered that Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa’s home affairs minister, announced an upward review of passport fees on Oct. 9, 2022.
Starting from Nov. 1, 2022, South Africans over 18 began paying R600 for a 32-page passport and R1,200 for a 48-page passport, up from R400 and R800, respectively.
As of Sept. 7, 2025, R600 will approximately convert to around N51,600 since a South African Rand sells for N86. The data validate the claim on the cost of obtaining an international passport in South Africa.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s minimum wage is measured at R28.79 per hour. According to the country’s Department of Employment and Labour, the minimum wage for an eight-hour-per-day and 40-hour-per-week employed South African is R4989.88 monthly. Converting the minimum wage to Nigerian naira as of Sept. 7, 2025, the official rate equals N431,481.34.
Though an exponential gap exists between the number quoted in the claim and DUBAWA’s findings, the broader context is that Nigeria’s costly passport price poses an unfair expectation on citizens, despite receiving a meagre minimum wage of N70,000.
Conclusion
At a 110 mobility score, South Africa’s passport is not Africa’s strongest, as claimed. The honour goes to Seychelles, which has a 149 mobility score and visa-free access to 104 countries.
