Africa’s richest businessman, Aliko Dangote, has voiced out his frustrations over the travel restrictions he faces across Africa with a Nigerian passport.
Speaking at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, Dangote said, “Even after my discussion with President Kagame, my predicament remains that as an investor, I need to obtain 35 different visas for my passport, which is a huge hassle as I don’t have the time to submit my passport across various embassies for visas.
“What gets to me the most is the lack of preferential treatment. If it was a uniform policy for all, it wouldn’t be as exasperating.”
He pointed out the inequality by comparing his situation with the chairman of Total Energies, Patrick Pouyanne, who can freely travel across Africa with a French passport, implying that Mr. Pouyanne has greater access to African countries than he does.
Aliko Dangote at the Africa CEO Summit in Kigali, Rwanda remarked, “Your French passport doesn’t need 35 visas. This means you enjoy more freedom of movement throughout Africa than I do.”
“We need to first ensure the effectiveness of our regional markets. Following that, we can fully endorse the AfCFTA. For AfCFTA to succeed, it also has to be functional.
“We cannot expect to see a flourishing continent when our rate of intra-trade is below 16 percent. Thus, the development of Africa is up to us. If we await foreign intervention, it simply won’t happen.
“It is our responsibility as Africans to invest ourselves in and ensure we spearhead this advancement. Then, we can hope to inspire confidence in others who believe in the potential of Africa, like Patrick, to join us in elevating our continent to greater heights.”
In conclusion, He also revealed a significant update for Nigeria’s energy landscape, stating that by June, the need to import petrol would be eliminated courtesy of the Dangote refinery commencing operations.
