President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed the commitment of his regime to foreign partnership to ensure national development.
This was disclosed recently by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement titled, ‘President Buhari welcomes international partnerships to spur development.’
He said the President spoke at a virtual meeting with members of an international think-tank group and investment promoter, the Horasis Global Visions Community, led by its founder and chairman, Dr Frank-Jürgen Richter, cross-sectional representatives of state governors and corporate organisations.
Key members of the president’s cabinet who attended the virtual meeting include the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffery Onyeama.
Other prominent persons include the Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Dr Kayode Fayemi; Global Chairman of Horasis, Dr Frank-Jürgen Richter; Global Business Speaker and Convener, Horasis Africa Business Summit, Dr Noel Akpata; Horasis-in-Nigeria Chairman, Dr Shamsudeen Usman; and the Chairman of MAN, Engineer Ahmed Mansur.
There were also members of the corporate sector in attendance, including the MD/CEO of Heritage Bank, Mr Ifie Sekibo, Chairman, Shoreline Group, Mr Kola Karim; Chairman, Lafarge Group, Mr Ade Adefioye; Managing Partner, Zenera Consulting, Mr Meka Olowola; MD, Rennaissance Capital, Mr Temitope Popoola; and MD, Daily Times, Mr Aliu Akoshile.
According to Shehu, Buhari promised to work with the team to find solutions to challenges facing the country, its government, and corporate entities.
“I am excited about the work that Horasis has been engaged in since it was founded in 2005.
‘’As a platform for frank discussions and generation of multidisciplinary ideas for the resolution of multi-faceted challenges facing mankind, the work of governments and corporate organisations are expected to be impacted more positively,’’ he quoted the President saying.
The presidential aide said Buhari accepted the request of the global think tank to create its African hub in Nigeria, commending their vision for an expanded manufacturing through Foreign Direct Investment to make the country a major beneficiary of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement coming into effect next year.
The Chairman of the Horasis group, Frank-Jürgen Richter, commended Nigeria’s economic growth in the last few years and gave strong assurances that the Africa Summits with Nigeria as the hub would bring the benefits of increased FDI.
Other speakers at the meeting expressed excitement about the good prospects of increased manufacturing through FDI to give a competitive advantage to Nigeria in view of the ACFTA.
