Nigeria Destination Of Choice In Trade, say Saraki
Oru Leonard
The Honourable Minister of State for Transportation, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, has said that Nigeria is a destination of choice in terms of trade, as 70% of the Gulf of Guinea trade takes place in there.
Sen. Saraki who made this known while receiving a Trade Mission from the kingdom of Belgium, also observed that a recent World Bank report indicates that Nigeria is moving in the right direction as regards Ease of Doing Business in the country.
Furthermore, she noted that “Nigeria is always open to new ideas and new ways of improving services to Nigerians”, calling on Agencies under the Ministry’s supervision to see how they can partner with the trade delegation.
On climate change, the Minister noted that Nigeria is tackling the challenges through proactive environmental friendly policies.
In his contribution, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. S. Zakari, lauded the trade delegation for their desire to partner with the Ministry, giving the assurance that their proposals will be studied to ascertain areas of cooperation.
Earlier, Head of the Trade Mission, Belgium-Africa, Engr. Christain Verbrugghe said he is an industrialist and represent captains of industries in maritime security and maritime services which include but not limited to: vessel tracking system, port communication, port control centre and provision of protective clothing for offshore marine activities.
He was optimistic that the Ministry and Belgium Chamber of Commerce can synergize in areas of innovation and technological transfer to protect assets in cost efficient ways.
Also speaking, the General Manger, Dredging International Services, Mr. Stefaan Van Velthoven, said his company which is handling the Eko Atlantic City in Lagos has been in Nigeria for the past 18 years, adding that he looks forward to sustainable partnership between Nigeria and Belgium.
