I Need 35 Visas To Travel Within Africa But French Investors Don’t – Dangote Laments
Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person has lamented difficulties faced by investors travelling across the African continent.
Speaking recently at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, he lamented that he needs different 35 visas on his Nigerian passport to travel within Africa.
He said, “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.
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“But you see, the most annoying thing is that yes, if you are treating everybody the same, then I can understand.”
He explained that Patrick Pouyanne, chairman of Total Energies, does not need 35 visas on his French passport to gain access to African countries.
“You don’t need 35 visas on your French passport. This means you have a freer movement than myself in Africa.
“Our main job is to make sure the regional markets all work. Once they work, then we can now go to the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement. But then, for AfCFTA also, we need to make sure that it works.
“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.
“So, it can only happen to us Africans. We must risk our sources and make sure that we lead, and 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,” he said.
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
