MR EAZI SAYS TOURING EUROPE, US WAS EASIER THAN AFRICA, URGES REMOVAL OF BORDER BARRIERS

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Afrobeats star and entrepreneur, Oluwatosin Ajibade, popularly known as Mr Eazi, has revealed that touring Europe and the United States was easier than performing across Africa during the early years of his music career, citing border restrictions and regulatory hurdles as major obstacles.

Mr Eazi made the remarks on Friday at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogue, held under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate, Collaborate, Trade,” according to a broadcast by Joy News.

Reflecting on his decade-long journey in music and entrepreneurship, the singer said cross-border movement within Africa posed greater challenges than international travel outside the continent, even at the peak of his musical success.

“In the first six years of my rise, particularly the first two years of me blowing up, it was easier to tour America and Europe than it was to tour Africa, even though I had some of the biggest songs,” he said, adding that touring became even more difficult after he had a number-one song across Africa.

Mr Eazi recounted a personal experience at the Kenyan border where he was reportedly denied entry despite being contracted and paid to perform.

“I remember two occasions of me going into Kenya with my band. Even though I had been paid to perform, I was stopped at the border. My band members of other nationalities were allowed to enter, but I—the lead artist—had to wait,” he said.

According to him, the incident reflects deeper structural issues hindering African integration and development.

“That incident speaks to the reality of the friction that stops us from uniting, stops us from being stronger, and prevents us from developing,” he noted.

The musician emphasised that Africa must prioritise effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), arguing that existing border systems create barriers to movement, payments, regulation and business expansion.

“Borders as they currently function create friction in movements, in payments, in regulation and in the abilities of small and medium-scale enterprises to scale,” he said.

Drawing from his entrepreneurial ventures, Mr Eazi disclosed that he has invested in businesses operating across 19 African countries, including a company that processes about four million transactions daily.

He added that border-related challenges disproportionately affect young Africans, noting that many under 35 already collaborate seamlessly across borders through digital platforms.

“We actually don’t care about borders. Collaboration now happens via the internet, through business and creativity,” he said.

While acknowledging that frameworks such as AfCFTA already exist, Mr Eazi stressed that execution remains the missing link.

“What remains is the important work of implementation,” he said, adding that easing cross-border movement does not undermine national sovereignty.

“We are not talking about removing nations or weakening sovereignty. We are talking about enabling existing commitments and allowing people to move, trade and build within Africa more efficiently and lawfully,” he explained.

He concluded by calling for the removal of barriers limiting Africa’s collective potential.

“When Africa moves together, we do not lose strength, we multiply it. If we make Africa borderless, Africa becomes unstoppable,” he said.