![]() |
AdDAN KITWOOD/GETTY |
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks in London, May 12. His Minister of
Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that Nigeria was trying to come up with an
initiative where one could enter any sister country without a visa.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama , says plans have been concluded to sign visa-free pacts with eight African countries to promote economic partnership on the continent.
Onyeama made the announcement on Tuesday, at a news
conference in Abuja, marking one year of President Muhammadu Buhari 's administration.
The minister, who did not disclose the names of the countries involved, noted
that trading among African countries had been very low. The pact, he said, is
expected to cause an upsurge in economic activities.
“To address this as a leader in the continent, the country is
at a point of introducing an initiative to promote African trade as part of the
country's foreign policy of Africa as the centrepiece.”“Africa is the
centrepiece of our foreign policy but it is a paradox that as a Nigerian, you
cannot go to an African country without a visa, unlike what is obtainable in
Western Europe,” he said.
Onyeama said Nigeria was trying to come up with an initiative
where one could enter any sister country without a visa.
“We want to start with about eight countries or see if they
come up as a group of eight countries. At the presidential level, they agreed
to that, and signed up to free movement.
“If we can achieve that within a year, then other countries
may want to join and we believe this is a better way to go than institutional
ECOWAS etc, as countries take so long to ratify agreements.
“We believe we can just start off, eight countries and they
agree among themselves, then others will come in.”
No comments
Post a Comment
Got a story for me? call +2348181832983
We'd love read your comment or opinion, so don't read and close.