President Muhammadu Buhari, who is currently in Paris for three-day state visit, has advised investors not to miss huge opportunities in Nigeria.
Buhari speaking at a meeting of investors at the Nigerian-France presidential business forum said that there was more to Nigeria that just oil exploration.
Nigerian president noted that the country was greatly blessed with lands rich in agricultural and mineral resources coupled with skilled and low-cost labour, large market, robust and competitive private sector, emphasizing that the areas remained largely untapped.
He also stated that other vital areas, such as agriculture, energy, automobile and skill development needed to be expanded to provide jobs for the youths.
Buhari who advised the French investors to discover vast untapped natural deposits in Nigeria admitted that the idea behind his aggressive campaign against terrorism was to create a safe haven for local and foreign business and investments.
Nigerian leader reminded that Nigeria and France already have a friendly trade partnership, adding that both countries needed to exceed their annual trade volume of $5billion.
He also vowed develop a competitive, virile, productive economy based on excellence, integrity, transparency, accountability and respect for the rule of law.
“It is a positive development that today Nigeria is the largest trading partner with France in Africa,” President Buhari said.
“But opportunities abound to greatly increase the current $5billion annual trade volume and I fully agree with President Hollande when he declared in February, 2014 in Abuja that trade volume between both countries should double in four years.
“Today many French companies are happy to have flourishing businesses in Nigeria, opportunities abound to greatly increase the $5billion annual trade volume between the two countries”
“Nigeria is now at a new dawn to chart and reposition its destiny for greatness. We are resolved and firmly determined to consolidate on industrializing Nigeria and diversifying its economy into sectors such as agro-processing, mining, manufacturing, petro-chemicals, food processing and textiles.
“Nigeria has what it takes to make a break-through and there is more to Nigeria than oil. It is a blessed land rich in agricultural and mineral resources coupled with skilled and low-cost labour, large market, robust and competitive private sector”, he concluded.
President Buhari is expected back in Nigeria on September 16, Wednesday.
Security and the fight against Boko Haram were on top of discussions in depth during these meetings.
France has strong strategic, military, and economic relations with Nigeria’s neighbour Chad, which is an important ally in the fight against the insurgency in the region.
No comments:
Post a Comment