Dangote Eyes $30 Billion In Total Revenue From His Businesses By End Of 2024
continent only does 16 per cent trade with itself and pointing out that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA) could help in that direction.
“ The AFCTA will be very, very beneficial. And if you are talking about benefits, our company will almost be one of the top five in terms of benefiting from the free trade agreement,” he stated, however stating that he had not seen any improvement in trade within the continent.
“We have petroleum products to export. So we have too many things to export. We have cement also to export. What makes sense is to have the free trade agreement work. But my own thinking is that, look, for us to cross that hurdle, because the trade between us is only about 16 per cent, which is too low.
“So we have to make sure that all the regional markets, they have to work. We have to remove these requirements of visas. We have to allow free movement of people, free movement of goods and services. Then the AFCTA will work. Without that, it is almost impossible.
“I mean, you look at it today. I’m going to Egypt tomorrow, but I need a visa. They are saying that, yes, okay, fine, they will give me visa on arrival if I have an American visa. But I have an African passport and they are part and parcel of AFCTA.
“But they are saying that, no, if you have American visa, we’ll give you. So they are discounting me being an African. So how do we trade if you are not allowing me into your own country?nbsp; What I would have loved to see is to see a South African coming to even get a job in Nigeria with no hassle.
“Because if we don’t now integrate, we will never, ever see what we call prosperity. So the integration is very, very important. If you remember, most countries, they used to have Ministry of Integration. I don’t know what happened. Some of the countries they have actually dropped all this, which doesn’t make sense,” he added.
Dangote described his three children as the future of his businesses, stressing that they have enough experience to run some parts of his vast businesses along with other executives of the group.
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