French Minister of Foreign Trade and Attractiveness to Nigeria, Franck Riester, will meet with young Nigerian entrepreneurs in cultural and creative industry to provide support for the sector.
The Press Officer to French Embassy in Nigeria, Onyinye Madu, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.
Madu described the visit as a follow-up on the priorities set by French President, Emmanuel Macron, during his official visit to Nigeria in July 2018.
The visit was with a view to building a new partnership between Africa and France.
She said the minister’s meeting would be geared towards the role of French speaking countries in African creativity and the development of the African entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the support of France.
The press officer stated further that the objective of the mission was to further strengthen the links between the French and Nigerian private sectors.
“In this regard, the minister will have in-depth discussions with the Nigerian economic actors to strengthen bilateral cooperation and investments, both in Nigeria and in France, particularly in the logistics sector.
She said that Nigeria was the largest economy in Africa and the economic engine of West Africa.
Made said Nigeria was indeed a major partner to France, the first in sub-Saharan Africa with bilateral trade amounting to 4.5 billion USD in 2019 and 2.3 billion USD in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The press officer said the minister would have several official meetings in Abuja and Lagos.
She said the meeting would underline the importance of the bilateral economic relationship and prepare the summit on the financing of African economies in Paris on May 18.
“The minister will also open the Choose Africa conference, a €3.5 billion initiative by President Emmanuel Macron dedicated to supporting the development of start-ups and SMEs in Africa.
“This is to enable the continent to benefit fully from the opportunities of the digital revolution,” she stated.
