Africa
richest man Aliko Dangote has said that adequate steps must be taken to
address the issue in order for the continent to have a blossoming
economy. He said this while revealing that despite the size of his group
and his investments on the continent, he needs 38 visas to travel
across Africa.
“Our leaders must give incentives. For
example, little things like visa issuance. You go to a country that is
looking for investment, that particular country will give you a run
around just to get a visa,” he said in an interview with CNBC Africa.
“You have to know somebody who is big in that country to call somebody. They are giving you visas as if it is a favour.
“Somebody
like me, despite the size of our group, I need 38 visas to move around
Africa. Yes, I’ve heard that they are going to do the (African)
passport, but you can see that there is still a little bit of resistance
from other African leaders.
“Even countries like
Rwanda and co, that say no visas for Africans, they are still having
problems getting visas into other African countries, despite saying no
need for visas for Africans coming in. They say, just come, we would
give you on arrival.”
He said intra-Africa trade is
still very much on the downside, stating that Nigeria imports flour from
Europe, whereas, the flour was exported to Europe from Kenya and
Ethiopia.
