Connect with us

Headline

9 Countries That Offer ‘Golden Visa’ In Exchange For Investments

Published

on

U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed replacing the existing EB-5 immigrant investor program with a new “gold card” golden visa system, allowing foreign investors to obtain American citizenship by making a $5 million payment.

The EB-5 visa program, which currently grants U.S. permanent residency to individuals who invest at least $800,000 in job-creating projects, has long been a pathway for wealthy investors seeking U.S. citizenship.

Trump’s new proposal would significantly raise the financial threshold while offering a more direct route to American nationality.

Advertisement

Global Golden Visa Programs
The concept of securing residency or citizenship through investment is not unique to the U.S. Many countries offer “golden visas” or similar schemes to attract foreign capital. Below are some of the most notable programs worldwide:

READ ALSO: Top 10 Countries With Lowest Divorce Rate In The World

Europe
Greece – Introduced in 2013, Greece’s program grants permanent residency to individuals who invest a minimum of €250,000 ($262,800) in real estate. Residency permits are renewable every five years.

Advertisement

Malta – Foreign nationals can acquire citizenship by contributing at least €600,000 to Malta’s economic development, with a required residence period of at least 36 months.

Italy – Italy’s golden visa grants residency to investors contributing between €250,000 and €2 million, with visa-free access to the Schengen Area.

Cyprus – Requires a minimum investment of €300,000 for foreign nationals seeking residency.

Advertisement

READ ALSO: Top 5 Countries For Nigerians, Other Foreigners Looking To Start A Business Abroad

Middle East
United Arab Emirates – Investors who contribute at least 2 million dirhams ($544,602) to the UAE economy can qualify for a long-term residence permit, commonly known as the UAE golden visa.

Caribbean
Several Caribbean nations offer citizenship in exchange for economic contributions:

Advertisement

Dominica – A minimum investment of $200,000 secures citizenship for applicants and their families.

Grenada – Requires an investment of at least $235,000 and grants visa-free travel to several countries, including China, Russia, and the Schengen Area.

St. Kitts and Nevis – One of the oldest programs, established in 1984, requires a $250,000 contribution in exchange for full citizenship.

Advertisement

READ ALSO: 17 Countries Banned From FIFA World Cups [Full List]

Saint Lucia – A minimum investment of $240,000 grants full citizenship, subject to due diligence checks.

Antigua and Barbuda – Citizenship is granted to applicants over 18 who invest at least $230,000.
Asia

Advertisement

Thailand – The Thailand Privilege Residence Program offers residency for up to 20 years with a minimum investment of 650,000 baht ($19,299). Additionally, a Long-Term Residence Program provides 10-year visas for investments starting at 50,000 baht.

Indonesia – Launched in 2024, Indonesia’s program offers a 10-year visa to foreign investors contributing up to $10 million, granting them access to the country’s economic opportunities.

Trump’s proposed “gold card” initiative would place the U.S. among the nations leveraging investment-based immigration to attract high-net-worth individuals. While details of the plan remain unclear, the proposed cost of $5 million is significantly higher than similar programs in other countries.

Advertisement

Headline

Netanyahu’s Plane Takes Unusual Route To UN Summit

Published

on

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane took an unusual route to New York on Thursday, skirting several European countries en route to the United Nations General Assembly.

Although France had authorised Israeli use of its airspace, according to a French diplomatic source who spoke to AFP, flight-tracking data showed Netanyahu’s aircraft instead took a southern path.

It crossed Greece and Italy, then veered south through the Strait of Gibraltar before heading across the Atlantic.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Netanyahu Has Become ‘A Problem’, Says Danish PM

Britain, France and Portugal were among a string of countries to recognise a Palestinian state this week, a move Netanyahu bitterly opposes. Ireland and Spain announced their recognition in May.

Israeli media, meanwhile, reported that the detour by Netanyahu’s plane was intended to avoid countries that are signatories to the Rome Statute, which could enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in case of an emergency landing.

Advertisement

The ICC in November issued warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, over alleged war crimes committed during Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

READ ALSO:Fresh World Trouble Looms As Netanyahu Tells Western Leaders ‘There Will Be No Palestinian State’

Spain last week announced it would support the ICC investigation and had set up a team to probe alleged human rights violations in Gaza, as part of its broader push to pressure Israel to end the war.

Advertisement

Netanyahu is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Friday. He is also slated to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House next week.

AFP

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Headline

Japan Scraps ‘Africa Hometown’ Project After Visa Confusion

Published

on

The Japan International Cooperation Agency has cancelled its ‘JICA Africa Hometown’ initiative, citing “misunderstandings and confusion” over the programme.

JICA announced the withdrawal in a statement on its website on Thursday, weeks after reports claimed Japan would create a special visa category for Nigerians who wished to relocate to Kisarazu, a city designated as “hometown” to Nigerians and other Africans under the scheme.

On August 26, the Japanese government denied the visa plan after the Director of Information at the State House, Abiodun Oladunjoye, issued a statement relaying that Japan would introduce a “special visa category” for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu to live and work.

Advertisement

Clarifying its position, JICA said the use of the term “hometown” and the idea of “designating” Japanese municipalities as such led to “misunderstandings and confusion within Japan, placing an excessive burden on the four municipalities.”

READ ALSO:Two Japanese Boxers Die From Brain Injuries At Same Event

The statement read, “Originally, under this initiative, it was envisioned that exchange programs would be coordinated and implemented among the Japanese local governments, relevant African countries, and JICA. The specific details were to be determined later.

Advertisement

“However, JICA believes that the very nature of this initiative—namely, the term “hometown” and the fact that JICA would ‘designate’ Japanese local Governments as “hometowns”—led to misunderstandings and confusion within Japan, placing an excessive burden on the four municipalities. JICA sincerely apologizes to the municipalities involved for causing such situation.

“JICA takes this situation seriously. After consulting with all parties involved, JICA has decided to withdraw the “JICA Africa Hometown” initiative.”

The initiative was launched in August during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development with the goal of promoting exchanges between four Japanese municipalities and four African countries through cultural and educational programmes.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Japan City Mulls Two-hour Daily Smartphone Limit

JICA, however, stressed that it had never undertaken initiatives to promote immigration and has “no plans to do so in the future,” adding that it would continue supporting other forms of international exchange.

In August, confusion arose after the State House announced that Japan had designated Kisarazu city as the “hometown” for Nigerians and would introduce a special visa category for young, skilled Nigerians wishing to live and work there.

Advertisement

However, the Japanese government quickly dismissed the claim.

READ ALSO:Japan’s Petabit: What To Know About Internet Speed That Can Download 67 Million Songs In A second

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan clarified that while the JICA Africa Hometown initiative aimed to promote cultural and developmental exchanges between selected African countries and four Japanese cities, it did not involve immigration benefits or special visas.

Advertisement

The clarification came after Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Japan, Florence Akinyemi Adeseke, and Kisarazu’s Mayor, Yoshikuni Watanabe, publicly received a certificate naming the city the “hometown” of Nigerians, further fuelling reports of migration opportunities.

Continue Reading

Headline

17 African Countries Back Electricity Reforms—World Bank

Published

on

The World Bank said seventeen African governments have committed to reforms and actionable plans to expand electricity access as part of Mission 300, an ambitious partnership led by the lender and the African Development Bank Group that aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.

The lender said in a statement on Wednesday that governments from Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, the Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, and Togo endorsed National Energy Compacts at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum.

The Bank described the compacts as policy blueprints intended to guide public spending, drive reforms, and attract private investment, while serving as a model for the rest of the world.

Advertisement

Nigeria was not part of the latest group; it had joined earlier this year alongside Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia. Collectively, those countries pledged more than 400 policy actions to strengthen utilities, reduce investor risk, and remove bottlenecks.

READ ALSO:World Bank Appoints Africa’s Richest Man, Dangote

Electricity is the bedrock of jobs, opportunity, and economic growth.

Advertisement

“That’s why Mission 300 is more than a target; it is forging enduring reforms that slash costs, strengthen utilities, and draw in private investment,” World Bank Group President Ajay Banga said.

Since the launch of Mission 300, 30 million people have already been connected, with more than 100 million in the pipeline.

African Development Bank Group President Dr Sidi Ould Tah said, “Reliable, affordable power is the fastest multiplier for small and medium enterprises, agro-processing, digital work, and industrial value-addition.
“Give a young entrepreneur power, and you’ve given them a paycheck,” he added.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:FBI Places $10,000 Bounty On Nigerian Wanted For Bank Fraud

National Energy Compacts are at the core of Mission 300, developed and endorsed by governments with technical support from development partners. Tailored to each country’s context, these practical blueprints integrate three core tracks: infrastructure, financing, and policy.

The World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group are working with partners, including the Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Sustainable Energy for All, and the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program trust fund, to align efforts in support of powering Africa. Many development partners and development finance institutions are also supporting Mission 300 projects through co-financing and technical assistance.

Advertisement

President of Botswana, Duma Boko, said, “This National Compact is our shared pledge to ensure accessible, reliable and affordable energy as a basic human need, to transform our economy and create jobs, and to electrify our journey to an inclusive high-income country.”

President of the Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya, said, “The government of the Republic of Cameroon is committed, through its Energy Compact, to a determined transition towards renewable energies, promoting inclusive universal access and sustainable development based on partnerships and ambitious reforms to build a low-carbon future.”

READ ALSO:Police Restores Peace After Bomb Explosion Rocks Imo Community

Advertisement

President of the Union of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, noted, “The Comoros Energy Compact is a call for collective action to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030, to ensure the country’s emergence in dignity, equity, and shared progress.”

President of Ethiopia, Taye Atske Selassie, noted, “Our National Energy Compact exemplifies Ethiopia’s unwavering dedication to ensuring universal, affordable, and sustainable energy access for all.

“By unlocking our vast renewable resources and strengthening regional interconnections, we aim to foster inclusive growth domestically and propel Africa’s collective momentum toward ending energy poverty. Together, we are committed to building a resilient, equitable, and sustainable energy future for generations to come.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending