The federal government of Nigeria has reiterated the country’s commitment to a stronger bilateral tie with France, according to Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed.
She said this when the French Foreign Trade Minister, Mr. Frank Reister, paid her a courtesy call at her office in Abuja.
The Minister expressed Nigeria’s commitment to accelerating the preparation of the health project in Oyo State to ensure effectiveness of the project. She also solicited for additional allocation of highly concessional credit facility to Nigeria’s portfolio to support government development agenda.
Responding, Mr. Reister outlined the objective of his visit to Nigeria. “I am in Nigeria first to strengthen the Nigeria /French bilateral relations and to strategise with the government and other stakeholders on how to improve the present relationship. We want to strengthen the links between the French and Nigerian private sectors,” he said.
Speaking further, he said: “We want to look at our long-term investments, fight against climate change, explore financing options for different projects in Nigeria and support Nigeria in its gas project. The visit is coming on the heels of the summit of African economies in Paris in May 2021, where President Muhammadu Buhari will be attending with others to deliberate on the objectives to help boost a strong inclusive recovery in Africa and accelerate the green and digital transition in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement on climate change.
