Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual, expressed frustration over the cumbersome visa requirements for intra-Africa travel, citing the need to obtain 35 visas on his Nigerian passport. He highlighted this disparity during discussions with Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, Rwanda.
“I still complained to President Kagame. I told him that as an investor, I have to now apply for 35 different visas on my passport, and I told Mr. President, I really don’t have the time to go and be dropping my passports in embassies to get a visa,” he said.
“But you see, the most annoying thing is that yes, if you are treating everybody the same, then I can understand.”
Dangote emphasized the disparity by contrasting his experience with that of Patrick Pouyanne, chairman of Total Energies, who enjoys more seamless travel within Africa with his French passport, requiring no such extensive visa applications.
“You don’t need 35 visas on your French passport. This means you have a freer movement than myself in Africa,” he said.
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Addressing the need for enhanced regional cooperation, Dangote underscored the importance of facilitating easier movement of goods and people within Africa to bolster the success of initiatives like the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). He stressed the imperative for Africans to take the lead in driving intra-continental trade and development, urging proactive measures to realize the continent’s potential.
“We cannot have a very promising continent and our intra-trade rate is less than 16 percent. Okay, so we Africans will have to do it. If we are waiting for foreigners to come and do it, both the development of Africa, it’s not going to happen,” he said.
“So it can only happen to us Africans. We must risk our sources and make sure that we lead, then we will have people who actually trust and believe in Africa like Patrick to come and help us to push to the next level.”