Entrepreneur Mr Eazi has revealed that, despite his success across the continent, it was often easier for him to tour America and Europe than to tour Africa.
Speaking at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues, the singer explained that the challenge is not a lack of ambition among African creatives, but the persistent “friction” caused by border restrictions and systemic barriers across the continent.
“This is not coming from a place of low ambition,” Mr Eazi said. “As a young entrepreneur and creative, the biggest problem we face is friction, and that’s why this conversation is important to me.”
Reflecting on his early years in the music industry, Mr Eazi recalled spending six of the last ten years touring the world as a performer. Despite having some of the biggest songs on the continent at the time, he said touring within Africa was far more difficult than performing abroad.
“I remember when I was blowing up, it was easier to tour America and Europe than Africa,” he said. “Even when I had number one songs across the continent, it was still hard to tour Africa.”
He shared a particularly frustrating experience at the Kenyan border, where he and his band were scheduled to perform at a paid event. According to him, while members of his band who held other nationalities were allowed to enter the country, he the lead artist and main performer was detained at the border.
“I told immigration that I had already been paid to perform, so if they wanted to send me back, I would just take the next flight home,” he recounted. “But that moment really captured the reality of the friction that exists, friction that stops us from uniting, from becoming stronger, and from developing as a continent.”
Mr Eazi noted that these experiences influenced his transition into entrepreneurship over the past four years, where he has focused on solving the very problems that once limited his career as a musician.
“I’ve spent the last four years investing in businesses that address these frictional issues and help move Africa closer to becoming borderless,” he said. “One of the companies I’m most proud of is now live in 19 African countries and processes over four million transactions every day.”
Writer: Frederick Nortey
