Report from Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
The Federal Government and Nigeria’s ambassadors across the Asian countries held a strategic meeting in New Delhi, India, for the first time in over 50 years to brainstorm on a strategic synergy aimed at further improving the trade and investment ties with the 15 countries.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, told journalists that at the end of the two-day meeting, the Ministry and the fourteen ambassadors represented, resolved to work on doubling the volume of trade between Nigeria and Asia to over $80bn (N13.2trn) within two years.
Aganga said that the meeting was necessitated by the emergence of Asia as Nigeria’s major trading and investment partner, adding that there was an urgent need to maintain Nigeria’s current position as the preferred investment destination in Africa and the world at large.
He stressed that there was the need for Nigerian missions abroad to key into and play active roles in promoting Nigeria’s investment opportunities and strengthen trade ties with their countries of assignment in line with the Transformation Agenda of the President.
The Nigerian High Commissioner to India, Mr. Ndubuisi Amaku said in his speech that the country stood to benefit a lot by increasing the current level of economic partnership with Asian countries.
“It is only those who live in the past that still believe that the West can help us. The Asian continent has great regards for Nigeria as a country; we welcome this move and will do everything to support the Transformation Agenda of the President”, he said.
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