In face of the recent challenges African travelers to Dubai are facing, as a result of measures taken by the UAE towards the COVID-19 pandemic, Wari, a global platform offering digital financial services, has announced a partnership with Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries (TBLDC) to provide a more effective visa process for those intending to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“We are excited about this partnership and are proud that TBLDC has chosen Wari as its payment platform of choice for the UAE visa process. This partnership will provide TBLDC clients in Africa with a hassle-free visa process by providing low-cost, secure payments via Visa or MasterCard completely remotely. By joining forces with TBLDC, Wari has contributed to simplifying UAE visa processes, providing a stress-free visa completion process for TBLDC. Clients can follow quick steps using the myWari either on a mobile phone or PC to complete their transactions. Further, clients will be rewarded for referring contacts through the Wari Ambassador program. It’s truly a win-win for everyone!” says Wari, Head of Marketing and Communications, Pape Diene..
Vice President of TBLDC, William Opili, says: “TBLDC is harnessing the power of financial technology to ease people’s travel from Africa to UAE. Currently, the process required for African travellers to secure a UAE visa is complicated and tedious. We will simplify this process by partnering with Wari, enabling clients to start and complete the entire visa acquisition procedure online without ever physically visiting an embassy. We want to harness the over 62% internet connectivity in Africa to ease a traditionally tiresome process. It’s a simple solution to a huge problem.”
Though it remains to see if this will check the routine deportation of African in the UAE as was seen in a viral video some days ago. In the video, nationals of different accurate countries were in chains, hands and feet, en route to be deported to their countries of origin. These African nationals were themselves surprised as they had done nothing wrong and were rounded up in a gestapo style.
The partnership between Wari and TBLDC was birthed from the two companies shared determination to move Africa forward. The platform will enable clients in Africa to conveniently manage the visa application process and pay in their local currency. With over 18 million unique business and tourist visitors every year, the UAE is the second most frequented country in the Middle East. While the UAE is the first destination this platform is being piloted, TBDLC has plans to expand to other territories.
