President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has hailed the African Development Bank (AfDB) for investing $520 million in specialized agro-processing zones in the country.
Tinubu, at a meeting with the President of the AfDB, Akinwumi Adesina, in Paris, France, after a two-day summit, also urged the AfDB boss to prioritize investments in ventures that would empower Nigerian women and the youth.
According to a release by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, the President commended Adesina for further opening up the economy for investments that provide job opportunities and reduction in poverty.
Tinubu said the agro-industrial project strengthens an area of the country’s competitive advantage as he listed other areas of priority that require Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
He urged the Bank to inject funds into projects that target women and youth empowerment, while appreciating the AfDB President for his vision of setting up a Youth Entrepreneurship Bank in Nigeria that would provide credit, skills and other support for young Nigerians.
Tinubu assured Adesina that the Federal Government would provide all the necessary assistance to ensure sustenance of the projects, adding that electricity remained a priority area that needed urgent attention.
In his remarks, the AfDB boss thanked Tinubu for the bold initiatives that had repositioned Nigerian economy in three weeks and stimulated appetite of investors from different parts of the world; removal of fuel subsidy and harmonisation of exchange rates.
“I commend the President’s foresight, boldness and determination for macroeconomic policy direction by removing the fuel subsidy,’’ he said. “No bird can fly with its wings tied behind. All those steps are signals investors like.’’
Adesina said the bank would support the economic policies of the new administration in Nigeria that had placed the people first in development targets.
In another meeting, the President received executives of Airbus/ATR, and assured them that the aviation sector would be “streamlined for efficiency’’, especially in maintenance of aircraft and training.
Senior Vice President of Airbus/ATR, Public Affairs, Laurent Rahul Domergue, assured the President that the company was prepared to invest in the aviation sector, particularly in supplying planes to Nigeria.
