Africa's richest man has railed against onerous visa requirements still in place on the continent.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the African Export-Import Bank (Afrieximbank) in Accra, Ghana, last Sunday, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote said he considered it strange that someone holding a British passport and visa can travel more easily across the continent than he can.
He said African countries should consider allowing African passport holders to obtain visas on arrival.
“I have an African passport which allows me to move around most countries. If I have to get a visa to go to ‘country A’ heading to Nigeria, but another person with a British visa has easier access, why don’t you offer a visa on arrival? That would go a long way.”
Dangote said that making economies more easily accessible for investors is linked to the prosperity of nations. He cited the relaxation of travel requirements by Saudi Arabia as an example of a country that has removed blockages to travel and investment.
“We must take this political will to remove all obstacles. One visa that is easier to get than any other is Saudi Arabia. It has opened up the economy. We have to make sure the regional markets work.”
Mia Mottley, prime minister of Barbados, told the gathering that while her island nation was a thriving tourism destination that welcomed large numbers of UK travellers each year, it remained an untapped potential destination for African travellers.
We must take this political will to remove all obstacles
— Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man
“We take people from the United Kingdom every week in the winter season to cruise the Caribbean. And when you ask those in Africa why aren’t we seeing more people, there is a problem with the visas between African countries and Caribbean countries.
As Afreximbank announced a range of interventions and agreements aimed at driving intra-Africa trade, business leaders and heads of state called for a common visa system between African countries and the diaspora, including between African and Caribbean investors and tourists, to kick-start new levels of investment and trade.
Afreximbank’s initiatives have gained momentum since the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) was signed by 54 of Africa’s 55 countries and ratified by 47.
The fragmentation of travel regimes on the African continent has been a point of frustration for many African business leaders.
During his official address, Afreximbank president Benedict Oramah said the financial institution worked to install an integrated regional transit guarantee scheme for the continent to ease the movement of goods across the 110 borders in Africa.
We have to prepare for tomorrow today
— Wamkele Mene, secretary-general, AfCFTA sectariat
“Under the scheme, goods can move across multiple African borders under one transit bond, reducing border delays and transit costs.
Currently operational in the Comesa [Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa] region and supported by a $300m (about R5.6bn) guarantee limit by Afreximbank, we expect the scheme to go continent-wide in due course, with global limits expanded to $1bn,” said Oramah.
Secretary-general Wamkele Mene said the African Continental Free Trade Area secretariat and the United Bank of Africa signed a co-operation agreement after detailed discussions to ensure that small business benefits from the trade area.
“By 2050, one in four people in the world will be African. The population of the continent presents an opportunity for investors and the private sector as it will be the most dynamic market in the world. So, we have to prepare for tomorrow today,” said Mene.
According to the International Finance Corporation, the tourism sector was worth an estimated $169bn to the African continent.
• Magubane was a guest of Afreximbank at its 30th annual meeting in Accra, Ghana
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.