The Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Adeniyi Adebayo has called for the establishment of Nigeria-France Business Council to enhance trade relations between the two countries.
Mr Adebayo in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Ifedayo Sayo explained that the council which will be private sector-driven would perform the statutory roles of coordinating and promoting enabling business environment which would spur economic growth.
The Minister who was addressing French Minister of Foreign Trade and Attractiveness, Mr Franck Riester accompanied by some French investors in Nigeria, also called on French companies to take advantage of the nation’s teeming youth to invest in software manufacturing in the country.
“This would help President Muhammadu Buhari to achieve its plan to take 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next ten years.”
“The setting up of some special economic zones to promote the manufacturing sector has provided investors another great opportunity to invest in the country,” he said.
He explained that these special economic zones were being provided with the much needed infrastructures that will ease the setting up of industries in the country.
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The Minister urged them to take advantage of Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Zone to invest in the country so that they would have access to a very large market in the continent.
Mr Adebayo said the Federal Government would continue to do its best to create a conducive environment for business to thrive.
French Minister for Foreign Trade and Attractiveness, Mr Franck Riester congratulated the country on the emergence of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as director General of the World Trade Organisation, noting that France had stood by Nigeria in seeing the emergence of her candidate for the WTO topmost job.
He said France would like to build a longtime partnership with Nigeria not only in the area of trade but also going into other areas.
Mr Riester also welcomed the idea of setting up the Nigeria-France Business Council saying it was the desire of the French authorities to get more of its businessmen to come into the country to invest.
He however pledged to continue to do business in the country, stressing that they were committed to expanding their investment with the support of the government.
Hauwa Abu
