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The spread of the latest COVID variant – Omicron – has proven that we are still far from the end of the pandemic. Though the variant's origins are still unclear, it was first identified in South Africa but has since spread to various regions of the world.
While the challenge of the crisis has certainly lessened globally, mostly due to the rate of vaccinations and other preventative measures implemented, fear of the new mutating variant has led to nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, and numerous countries in the European Union to enforce travel restrictions on African countries. These bans have sparked outrage amongst African leaders who argue that travel restrictions do not solve the problem and only harm the economies of developing nations already struggling from the fallout of the pandemic.
Passport discrimination is not a new phenomenon for African nations. Even before the pandemic, those holding an African passport were subject to harsher rules and visa bureaucracy, interrupting the way Africans conduct business, access services or see loved ones. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has become an added obstacle that Africans must face if they hope to move across borders.
The pandemic and the travel bans that come with it have led to the emerging trend of affluent Africans obtaining a second citizenship through a popular route known as Citizenship by Investment. Such programmes enable those who can make the required investment, depending on the nation, to acquire citizenship and the life-changing benefits that come with it.
"COVID-19 has presented one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century," says Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners, the world's largest government advisory and marketing firm specialising in Citizenship by Investment. "But for Africans, this has only exacerbated pre-existing issues. Second citizenship helps those that want to position themselves globally without the fear that their country of origin will hold them back."
Originating in St Kitts and Nevis, the Caribbean nation is considered the industry's Platinum Standard brand. In recent years, it has welcomed wealthy Africans and their families to settle and set up businesses in the country. The programme is one of the most family-friendly options on the market and boasts the fastest route to second citizenship through its Sustainable Growth Fund option. Under a limited time offer that expires on the 31st December 2021, families of four can acquire citizenship for the same price as a single applicant, accounting for a price cut of $45,000.
Those who can pass the necessary vetting processes, proving that they have a clean source of funds, gain access to increased travel freedom to over 160 destinations, including key business hubs. St Kitts and Nevis also offers alternative business prospects in one of the fastest-growing economies in the region with ties to financial superpowers like the United States.
