Saturday, 12 April 2014

Nigeria: Building Relationships Through International Trade - Expects Bulgarian Delegation

by Benson Agoha

Nigeria has stepped up its efforts to attract foreign investment into the country, as more positive reports emerge from President Goodluck Jonathan's government and says his government is expecting a trade delegation from Bulgaria.

* President Jonathan shakes hands with President Plevneliev of Bulgaria at which both held bilateral meeting with other world leaders at the EU-Africa Summit in Brussels on April 2, 2014.

According to Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Nigeria would be looking forward to receiving Bulgaria's trade delegation in order to boost economic relations between the two countries.

The annoucement followed a meeting with President Plevneliev of Bulgaria at the summit during which the two country's delegations had an understanding.

The statement released by Reuben Abati said President Jonathan recalled the cordial relations between Nigeria and Bulgaria in the 70s which led to the award of contract for Nigeria's Arts Theatre to a Bulgarian firm.

Nigeria and Bulgaria had a Bi-National Commission but its last meeting was in 1989.



* President Goodluck Jonathan shakes hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the EU-Africa Summit in Brussels on Wednesday April 2, 2014.

Generally, the summit discussed among other things, issues relating to peace and security as well as instability in Africa including countries like Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Sudan and Somalia, and the impact these conflicts have outside of these countries.

It was also a forum for building business blocks and other topics discussed included development support, peacekeeping missions, stopping the proliferation of small arms, counter terrorism, border security and sexual violence against women.

Trade, investment, employment, infrastructure, ensuring effective and reliable energy supplies in Africa, and the management of natural resources were also covered just as were education and training, poverty, climate change, health, migration and mobility.

As people are at the heart of the EU-Africa partnership, the European Commission says policy strategies must deliver benefits to citizens.




* Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon and Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, African Union Commission Chairperson during the summit. 

President Jonathan commended Bulgarian companies for equipping Nigerian secondary schools for technical education during that decade and wooed his Bulgarian counterpart saying "Let us increase trade and investment between the two countries, because Nigeria has a vast area for investment and we believe we must add value to gas and crude oil which is the only way to create jobs.”

On his part, President  Plevneliev promised to send a high-powered trade delegation to Nigeria in order to upgrade the bilateral relations especially in the areas of agriculture and energy management.

* Follow us on Twitter: @woolwichonline
* Photo Credit: Reuben Abati.

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