* Nigeria, Namibia set to strengthen ties
Nigeria is gradually moving towards a “visa-on-arrival” regime
as part of efforts to improve “Ease of doing business.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama stated this on
Tuesday at a meeting with his Namibian counterpart, Netumbo
Nandi-Ndaitwah, in Windhoek, the Namibian capital.
The two countries have also agreed to strengthen cooperation in
areas that would be beneficial to them as well as the African
continent.
Onyeama said Nigeria is moving towards a “visa-on-arrival”
regime as part of the policy of “Ease of doing business”.
The minister added that “online applications will facilitate
that, but it is still a work in progress”.
He noted that they addressed issues regarding the issuance of
visas to Namibians and Nigerians.
“Any Namibian wishing to obtain a visa to Nigeria can apply and
will be considered as was the case in the past. Once the
requirements are met satisfactorily, such a person will be issued a
visa. Same applies to a Nigerian wishing to go to Namibia,” he
said.
The meeting also agreed that any visa denial or deportation will
not be stamped in the holder’s passport. Furthermore, consular
meetings will be held quarterly to assess how things are
progressing.
He also said over the years, Nigeria has engaged with Namibia
through the Technical Aid Corps (TAC), which is “one mechanism
through which we support countries by sending out our brightest
young professionals in various fields – medical, educational etc
depending on the needs of the country for a period of time”.
He reiterated his belief that the partnership being forged
through the Joint Commission can “transform the lives of our
peoples in the framework of the 2063 Agenda of the African Union
(AU) and the 2030 Sustainable Development goals of the UN”.
Diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Namibia date back to
the March 2, 1990, following the country’s attainment of
independence. Since then, relations have been warm and cordial
owing to the role Nigeria played during Namibia’s liberation
struggle with the provision of financial, material and logistical
support for SWAPO.
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