VFS Global Profit Surge and Nigeria’s Mass Repatriation Highlight Strains on African Migration and Housing Stability

VFS Global has seen its profits skyrocket from €31 million to €171 million between 2017 and 2024, reflecting the increasingly commercialized and expensive nature of visa applications across Africa. This financial surge occurs as the continent grapples with dual crises of physical safety and residential security, exemplified by the mass evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa due to xenophobic violence and the unlawful demolition of thousands of homes in Ivory Coast. These developments paint a troubling picture of a continent where both the desire to move abroad and the right to remain safely in one's home are under severe economic and political pressure.

In the visa sector, VFS Global has come under fire for an outsourcing model that many African applicants describe as opaque and exploitative. Critics and applicants report being pressured into purchasing optional "premium" services that do not actually improve visa approval chances, while pricing structures remain unclear. This environment has fostered a secondary market of unofficial agencies that exploit desperate travelers, sometimes with the alleged collusion of insiders. While VFS Global maintains that it complies with all legal standards and has implemented security measures to prevent booking fraud, the dramatic rise in their earnings suggests that the visa business is booming even as the process becomes more restrictive for the average African citizen.

Simultaneously, the physical safety of migrants within the continent is deteriorating, particularly in South Africa. The Nigerian government recently initiated the repatriation of its citizens, with 262 individuals returning on an initial flight in June 2026 and over 1,000 more registered to leave voluntarily. This exodus is a direct response to a surge in anti-immigrant sentiment and violence, which experts link to political rhetoric ahead of local elections and high domestic unemployment rates. Other nations, including Ghana and Zimbabwe, have also been forced to coordinate evacuations, highlighting a significant breakdown in regional integration and the protection of foreign nationals.

Domestic stability is equally fragile, as seen in the recent events in Abidjan’s Koumassi Camp in Ivory Coast. Thousands of residents were left homeless after bulldozers razed their community in an operation allegedly orchestrated by a private individual, Jacques Alloui Brou, rather than the state. Despite government denials of involvement, the National Human Rights Council and opposition parties have called for accountability, citing the brutality of the operation and the lack of warning given to legal homeowners. These disparate events—from the high costs of legal migration to the violent displacement of settled communities—underscore a growing crisis of human rights and mobility across Africa that requires urgent policy reform.