South Africa has issued a total of 133, 114 visas to Nigerians between the periods starting from January 2013 to June 2015, the country’s Consul General, and Ambassador Mokgethi Monaisa has said.
Making this disclosure, Thursday, at the Lagos leg of the South Africa Tourism (SAT) West Africa Trade Workshop, which held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, Envoy Monaisa added that for the first quarter of this year alone, 25, 168 Nigerians have been issued with visas to South Africa, representing over N755 million, at prevailing costs.
According to Monaisa, the seriousness his country attaches to the permanency of relations with Nigeria is also evident in the volume of trade and investment which, he explained, has remained on the rise.
“If we continue to work together and do the right things, tourism can do even more to reduce unemployment and eradicate poverty. In South Africa, tourism alone has contributed no less than 10 per cent to the gross domestic product in 2014 and more importantly, one in every ten jobs is supported by tourism,” he stated.
“Allow me to share with you some visa statistics between the two largest economies in Africa. Between January 2013 and June 2015, a total of 133, 114 visas were issued. A breakdown shows that in 2013, 59, 657 visas were issued; in 2014, 48, 289 visas; and in 2015, 25, 168 visas issued.
“The seriousness South Africa attaches to the permanency of her relations with Nigeria is also evident in the volume of trade and investment that keeps on rising between the two countries,” Ambassador Monaisa stressed.
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