By G9ija
President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday the Federal Government would start issuing visa to persons with passports of other African countries at the point of entry to the country from January next year.
He stated this at the opening session of the ongoing Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa. The event is taking place in Aswan, a town in Egyptian.
He also harped on the need for Africans to focus on conflict prevention and resolution, fight against corruption and investment in transport infrastructure to help promote the African Free Trade Area Agreement.
Other issues Buhari said African countries should concern themselves are climate change and education.
The President said: “As Africans it is important to focus on the issues of conflict prevention and resolution. Conflicts have devastating effects on our societies and they militate against our progress. In this regard, the need to silence the guns cannot be overemphasized.
“Africa should embark on the provision of transport connectivity by enhancing the development of roads, rail, and air links which will ease the free movement of persons, goods and services within the continent. In this regard, we in Nigeria have already commenced an aggressive drive to upgrade our rail transport system and road networks across the country.
“We should furthermore promote free trade within and amongst Africa and Africans especially now that we have launched the African Free Trade Area Agreement,” he said.
In order to realize its Pan-African vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena, President Buhari declared:
“We in Nigeria have already taken the strategic decision to bring down barriers that have hindered the free movement of our people within the continent by introducing the issuance of visa at the point of entry into Nigeria to all persons holding passports of African countries with effect from January, 2020.”