The Consul-General of South Africa to Nigeria, Prof. Bobby Moroe, has said Nigerians wishing to visit the country will now get their visas within seven days against the initial six-month period of processing.
He told reporters this at the July Breakfast Meeting in Lagos, which was hosted by South Africa Airways and had the theme “Diplomatic Relations Between South Africa and Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges.”
In order to get the new fast-tracked process, Moroe says that applicants must include photocopies of their trip passports with their applications while they wait for a call to bring in the original document for a visa.
As for the amount of trade, Moroe said that 2022 numbers showed that Nigeria had $72.1bn in trade, while South Africa only had $447m.
He clarified that the $72.1 billion in trade volume in Nigeria’s favour was made up of crude oil, rubber, and petroleum.
The envoy stated that the $447 million in trade benefits to South Africa were attributed to magnetic rubber stoppers, a sophisticated device that is used in various industries to prevent water spillages, among other things.
“But you also ship pears and apples, which brings in $43.2 million.” Nigerians eat a lot of apples and pears because of this. The trade balance is in your favour because of the amount of people living in Nigeria and South Africa, but I think more can be done, especially to get more Nigerian companies to set up shop in South Africa, he said.
