President of Dangote Goup and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has called for significant reforms in visa policies across Africa, highlighting the obstacles they pose to investors and business leaders.
Dangote shared his personal frustrations, while expressing optimism for Africa’s future during a panel discussion at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali on Friday. He also provided insights into his vision for the continent’s growth and self-sufficiency.
Dangote’s comments come amid growing concerns about the restrictive and inconsistent visa policies that hinder intra-African travel and investment.
Addressing these issues, he also revealed that President Bola Tinubu has also voiced his dissatisfaction concerning the issue and is willing to do something about it.
“As an investor, as somebody who already wants to make Africa great, I have to now apply for 35 different visas on my passport and I really don’t have time to go and drop my passport in embassies to get a visa. But you see, the most annoying thing is that if you are treating everybody the same, then I can understand but I can assure you, some people don’t need 35 visas.
“On Monday, there was a cabinet meeting, President Tinubu was not happy about this same visa issue and I can assure you that in the next couple of weeks, you will see a massive reform in terms of visas going into Nigeria.”
Expressing his enthusiasm for Africa’s potential, Dangote stated, “I am very excited because the growth going forward in the future is Africa. We have whatever it takes to make Africa great and that is why I am not only putting in my own money, I am putting my soul and life in Africa to make it great.”
He likened Africa to a scratch card, saying, “Nothing is impossible in Africa, it is like a scratch card. Unless you scratch it, you won’t know what number it is or be able to use it.”
Chioma Kalu
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