Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has lamented the travel bottlenecks within Africa, which according to him, could stunt the continent’s development if not tackled head-on.
Dangote stated this at the recent Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda. He explained that he needs to get 35 different visas to work across Africa, which is much easier for some from Europe, like Patrick Pouyanne, chairman of Total Energies, who doesn’t face these issues with his French passport.
“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,” Dangote said.
He pointed out the unfairness, saying, “You don’t need 35 visas on your French passport. This means you have a freer movement than myself in Africa.”
Aliko Dangote also spoke about the need to make regional markets work better before moving on to bigger projects like the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
“We cannot have a very promising continent and our intra-trade rate is less than 16 percent,” he noted, emphasising that Africans need to lead the way in developing their continent. “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.”
No More Petrol Importation in Nigeria
Dangote also disclosed that by June, Nigeria will be self-sufficient in petrol production, thanks to the commencement of operations at the Dangote refinery.
This move is expected to end the country’s history of petrol imports, marking a new era of energy independence for Nigeria.
Dangote’s comments at the forum shed light on the practical challenges facing African entrepreneurs and highlighted the ongoing efforts to foster a more integrated, self-sustaining economic environment across the continent.
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : BusinessElitesAfrica – https://businesselitesafrica.com/aliko-dangote-laments-i-need-35-visas-to-travel-within-africa-and-an-european-doesnt/