By Miracle Ogunde
South Africa has introduced five-year multiple-entry visas which would allow Nigerian tourists to apply for visas without submitting their passports.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the new measures of simplified visa processes aimed at facilitating travel for Nigerian business people and tourists.
Speaking on Tuesday at the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Cape Town, attended by President Bola Tinubu, Ramaphosa highlighted the significance of these initiatives.
“Our efforts to create a favourable environment included simplifying the visa process for Nigerian business people travelling to South Africa. Qualifying Nigerian business people were granted a five-year multiple-entry visa,” he said.
The President reaffirmed South Africa’s dedication to fostering economic collaboration and addressing hurdles to investment.
“As we marked 30 years of diplomatic relations, we saw a bright future for our relationship. Our strong bonds of friendship provided a solid foundation for more meaningful economic cooperation,” Ramaphosa said.
He acknowledged Nigeria’s role in hosting South African companies and noted that South Africa had similarly welcomed Nigerian businesses.
“We needed to remove the remaining constraints to greater investment and address some of the challenges faced by companies,” he said.
Ramaphosa also commended Nigeria’s reforms to enhance its business environment, noting their importance for attracting South African and other foreign investors.
“Our government continued its efforts to improve the ease of doing business in South Africa. We wanted to enable investors to operate, trade, and pursue opportunities across various sectors,” he added. “We looked forward to seeing more Nigerian companies invest in South Africa.”
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