The
French Agency for Development (AFD), a public development finance institution
has said it recently approved €400 million as grant to finance transport and
energy projects in Nigeria.
The
Country Director, AFD, Mr. Hubert Dognin stated this at the European Union
(EU)- Nigeria business forum held in Lagos.
He
said his agency needed to identify projects with Nigeria which would need
financing.
According
to him, the facility for Nigeria, under the infrastructure trust fund and the
regional indicative program is an EU facility.
“At
the regional level, we have €400 million available for transport and energy and
at the national level, for the national indicative program, we have $150
available to finance the energy sector,” he added.
Also
commenting on the improved bilateral relationship trade between the EU and
Nigeria, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Michael Arrion said: “EU Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock in
Nigeria grew from €25.3 billion (N5.3trillion) in 2011 to €27.2 billion (N5.7
trillion) in 2012.
“The
EU is also Nigeria's most important
trading partner. In 2013 alone total
EU-Nigeria trade stood at €40.4 billion (N8.5trillion). EU imports from Nigeria
were valued at €28.7 billion (N6trillion) while EU exports to Nigeria stood at
€11.8 billion (N2.5trillion).”
“Though
Nigeria maintains a positive trade balance with the EU, and the EU remains the
biggest market for both oil and non-oil exports such as leather cocoa, sesame, it
is imperative to address the EU- Nigeria relationship towards a more
diversified composition and a strengthened ECOWAS regional market,” he added.
Arrion
also said that the EU is working closely with the Nigerian authorities to
improve its business environment and competitiveness, boosting its industrial
revolution agenda through support to the reform of the electricity sector and
accessing long term financing and tackling social issues like malnutrition.
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