'It does not make sense to allow European to visit Africa much easier than me as an African to invest' — Dangote slams visa restrictions

President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has called on African leaders to take decisive action to remove visa restrictions and other barriers that limit the movement of people, goods and services across the continent.

He argued that continued restrictions on intra-African travel were affecting investment opportunities and slowing efforts to deepen economic integration among African countries.

Dangote made the remarks on Monday, September 21, at the Accra Reset hosted by President John Dramani Mahama on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

He questioned the difficulty African investors sometimes face when travelling to other African countries, particularly when compared with the relative ease with which visitors from outside the continent can gain entry.

According to him, restrictive visa requirements can discourage African businesses from pursuing investment opportunities across borders.

“The issue of all these visas, free movement of people, goods, and services, we have been talking about it for a long time, and we’re really tired of talking. So we need to act now and make sure we allow the free movement of people.

“I have always wondered: why are we not allowing ourselves to visit each other? If I’m not going to have a visa to a country, for example, even in Africa, why should I invest?

"Why are you allowing a European to visit Africa much, much easier than me as an African? It does not make sense,” he said.

Dangote acknowledged that governments often cite security concerns as a reason for maintaining visa restrictions. However, he maintained that such concerns should not become a barrier to legitimate movement among Africans.

He called for stronger continental cooperation and greater African ownership of the continent’s development, saying removing restrictions on movement would help create an environment where trade, investment and interaction could flourish.

“We need to really get together on the continent. Then nobody will come and develop our continent but us,” he added.