The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has disclosed that the United Kingdom received over 1,500 visa applications every working day in Nigeria.
Montgomery made the disclosure in Abuja while briefing journalists on the United Kingdom-Nigeria Economic Growth.
In attendance were the Director-General, Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Zahrah Mustapha-Audu and the Country Director, United Kingdom’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT), Mark Smithson.
The envoy who explained that Nigerians constitute about 10 percent of visitors to the United Kingdom annually, however warned of the growing issue of visa fraud in the country.
Responding to a question on visa denial, Montgomery said: “There are so many people who visit the UK. Ten percent of all who visit the UK are from Nigeria at the moment.
“It is a testament to the strength of our relationship. And hundreds of thousands of people are getting visas without a problem. And when people unfortunately WhatsApp me early in the morning asking for help with a particular visa case, I have to explain that there are over 1,500 visa applications every working day.
“And the vast majority are approved if they go through the process. And it may, in most cases, be a problem with documentation.
“But we have various categories you can apply to. Standard priority, super priority. We have multiple routes for securing a visa if you have a legitimate business and you have the go-to-the-right process.
“But please beware of fraudsters out there. And again, we are delighted. We are open for business in the UK.
“We have a very pro-growth government. We’re working with a very reformist government in Nigeria. And we believe that there’s a huge amount of mutual benefit in deepening the collaboration of trade and investment between our two great countries.”
Earlier, Montgomery stated that the volume of trade between both countries has reached £7.2 billion.
He recalled the recent United Kingdom’s investment and services in Nigeria, saying that since the beginning of the year, the United Kingdom has committed thousands of pounds to various projects via its programmes and development finance institution.
“These partnerships contribute significantly to the broader narrative of UK-Nigeria economic growth, aligning with our shared goals for economic transformation, job creation and wealth generation,” Montgomery also said.
He however said the trade relationship between both countries was not just about the United Kingdom’s businesses in Nigeria.
“It is also very much about the UK as the home of many Nigerian businesses, including six banks, and the important role the UK plays in supporting Nigeria’s growth, especially London, which remains a top destination for Nigerian conglomerates, financial institutions and fintechs such as Moniepoint, Kuda Bank and others seeking to access global capital markets and top talent. We actively support Nigerian firms aiming to list on the London Stock Exchange, which hosts more African businesses than any other exchange.
“This underscores London’s role as a key gateway for African and Nigerian firms seeking access to global capital markets.
“Through initiatives like the Global Entrepreneurs Programme, we also help Nigerian start-ups scale and internationalise via the UK and take advantage of our tech ecosystem, the third largest in the world, home to 150 unicorns and valued at in excess of $1 trillion. We are delighted to say we have more than 90 Nigerian firms registered for London Tech week, starting on June 9. The largest tech event in Europe,” he added.
In her remarks, Audu said the ongoing reforms in the country will help businesses streamline their challenges.
Audu said: “It looks at the moment, I mean, you know, for many, many people who find it very challenging at the moment doing business, but I can assure you that some of these policies will quickly kick into effect.
“For instance, the new tax bill. That immediately will be very impactful because of many of the constraints. Well, not just constraints, there are multiple lines of taxation at the moment. That will be streamlined. It will definitely make it easier.”
Also speaking, Smithson, while listing the growing areas Nigerians can tap into under the United Kingdom’s Developing Countries Trade Scheme (DCTS), called on Nigerian exporters to take advantage of the opportunity to continue to trade tariff free with the United Kingdom on over 3,000 products such as cocoa, plantain, olive oil, tomatoes, vegetables, yam, shrimp and prawns and cashew nuts.
