Tinubu Visit: South Africa Introduces New Visa Regime for Nigerians

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By Reporter

President Bola Tinubu’s visit to South Africa has yielded diplomatic fruit as President Cyril Ramaphosa today, announced simplified visa processes aimed at facilitating travel for Nigerian business people and tourists.

The new measures include granting five-year multiple-entry visas and allowing Nigerian tourists to apply for visas without submitting their passports.

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.”

The President also discussed broader African development issues, particularly South Africa’s commitment to championing the African Union’s Agenda 2063 at the G20.

“It was the first time the G20 Leaders’ Summit would be held on African soil. We sought to galvanise support for the AU’s Agenda 2063 as we pursued an inclusive global agenda,” the South African President said.