Nigerian singer and entrepreneur Oluwatosin “ Mr Eazi ” Ajibade has sparked conversation across Africa after revealing that nationality-based barriers once prevented him from performing in Kenya, highlighting broader challenges facing African unity and integration.
The comments came as Mr Eazi spoke candidly about the persistent hurdles that inhibit artistic and economic collaboration across the continent during the Africa Prosperity Dialogue 2026 in Accra, Ghana.
The award-winning Afrobeats artist, known for hits that have resonated from Lagos to Nairobi and beyond, recounted a striking personal experience from his touring days: despite being booked and paid to perform, he was stopped at the Kenyan border and prevented from entering because he was Nigerian.
“It was easier to tour America than Africa. I was stopped at the border and prevented from performing in Kenya because I was Nigerian,” Mr Eazi told delegates, underlining the frustration of creative professionals navigating complex immigration rules across African states.
Touring Africa vs. Touring Overseas
Mr Eazi’s reflections were part of a larger commentary on the irony facing many African artists: it has often been simpler to tour in the United States and Europe than within the African continent itself.
He explained that, even when he had some of the biggest songs on the continent, logistical and bureaucratic challenges made intra-African tours more difficult than international ones.
“In the first six years of my rise… it was easier to tour America and Europe than it was to tour Africa,” he said, noting that borders and inconsistent policies can stifle creative mobility.
“That incident speaks to the reality of the friction that is being put in place, friction that stops us from uniting, stops us from being stronger, and prevents us from developing.”
A Broader Message on African Unity and Development
Beyond recounting his own encounters, Mr Eazi used the moment to address broader impediments to African unity.
He emphasised that the continent is brimming with talent and entrepreneurial spirit, particularly among its youth, but that structural obstacles, from rigid border controls to regulatory bottlenecks, hinder the free movement of people, ideas, and goods.
His message struck a chord with the central theme of the dialogue: how to empower small and medium enterprises, women, and young people in Africa’s emerging single market.
Mr Eazi urged leaders to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers and strengthen intra-African cooperation.
“Africa’s greatest constraint is not lack of talent,” he said. “It is not lack of ambition … but the biggest problem we face is friction.”Mr Eazi argued that removing these obstacles would unlock opportunities for creative professionals and businesses alike, enabling them to thrive within the continent instead of looking exclusively to overseas markets.
From Music to Entrepreneurship
Mr Eazi’s journey from music star to continent-wide entrepreneur gives additional weight to his call for unity.
In recent years, he has invested in companies operating in nearly 20 African countries and has become a vocal proponent of pan-African collaboration, not just in the creative industries but across sectors.
His comments at the Africa Prosperity Dialogue serve as both a personal testimony and a clarion call for change, urging African nations to break down the kinds of barriers that once kept him from taking the stage in Kenya and which continue to hold back the continent’s vast potential.
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