President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has urged African leaders to remove barriers that limit investment and economic cooperation among countries on the continent.
He said Africa’s development would be accelerated if countries took practical steps to facilitate the movement of people, goods and services across borders instead of continuing to discuss the issue without decisive action.
Speaking at the Accra Reset, hosted by President John Dramani Mahama on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, September 21, Mr Dangote said restrictions on movement were making it difficult for African businesses to expand and invest across the continent.
He questioned why Africans could face greater difficulty travelling between African countries than visitors from outside the continent.
According to him, restrictive visa requirements could discourage African investors from exploring opportunities in other countries, thereby limiting the growth of intra-African commerce and investment.
“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,” he said.
Mr Dangote said the situation could undermine investment decisions, particularly when African entrepreneurs encounter restrictions that are less burdensome for foreign visitors.
“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?” he asked.
He said the continent needed to create an environment in which African businesses could operate more freely across national borders and take advantage of investment opportunities in different markets.
Mr Dangote acknowledged the security concerns often cited by governments in maintaining visa restrictions but said such concerns should not prevent legitimate movement among African citizens.
He further called for stronger continental cooperation, arguing that Africa needed to take greater responsibility for mobilising investment and driving its own development.
“We need to really get together on the continent. Then nobody will come and develop our continent but us,” he said.
His comments add to calls for deeper economic integration across Africa, with freer movement of people, goods and services seen as important to expanding cross-border business and investment.
