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‘Why We’re Building Diverse Cooperation With Nigeria’
France President, Emmanuel Macron, has said that Nigeria was a powerhouse in Africa and that informs why his country was building tight and diverse cooperation with Africa’s most populous nation.
Macron stated this in Paris at the Nigeria international Partnership Forum (NIPF), a high-level event on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum.
Reports have it that the one-day event was attended by President MuhammaduBuhari, ministers and business moguls from Nigeria and France.
The event was organised to bring together the Nigerian and French governments, including private sectors in wide-ranging discussions focused on security, regional stability, trade and industrialisation.
The event is also to attract investment to Nigeria, bridge existing infrastructure gaps, spotlight Nigeria’s immense trade and investment opportunities and reset false and distorted narratives about the country.
Macron, who was represented by French Minister of Foreign Trade and Economy, Mr Franck Reister, said his country and Nigeria shared many strategic interests.
“France may seem a distant partner for Nigeria, even when it is surrounded by French-speaking countries with whom France shares a long history and where our companies have a strong foothold.
“However, the reality is actually quite different: because France mainly, is Nigeria’s second financial bilateral partner after China, with around €3billion of loans to the federal government.
“Nigeria is also our first trading partner on the continent and a very strategic one in the oil and gas sector since more than 10per cent of our gas supply comes directly from Nigeria.
“More than 100 French companies are present in Nigeria whereas almost 20 per cent of French Foreign direct investment in sub-Saharan Africa are directed to Nigeria,” he said.
“In 2019, the stock in Nigeria reached the very impressive amount of €9.7billion and would like to stress that we have longstanding and intense cultural, academic and scientific relations,” he said.
He went further than, “Our cultural and cooperation network in Nigeria is quite unique, with 11cultural centres throughout the country, all dedicated to promoting the ties between our two societies.”
Macron described France also as a great supporter of the vibrant cultural creativity of the Nigerian people, as witnessed for instance, during the recent Africa 2020 season.
He noted that his country was committed to the stability of the Sahel region and the safety of maritime trade routes of the Gulf of Guinea.
Macron recalled that a week before now, the Nigerian Navy participated in the exercise Grand African Nemo, organised by the French Navy.
He said the successful operation underscored the great cooperation potential between both navies.
Macron, however, noted that in spite of these remarkable facts and figures, the trade relations between both countries had remained below their true potential.
“I believe that we have much to build together to give bilateral trade a new impetus.
“Nigerian people’s entrepreneurial spirit is also well known, and certainly the most dynamic among their peers in Africa.
“Of course, challenges remain on multiple fronts, and I commend the Nigerian government for tackling those topics head-on,” he said.
Macron said that more than 100 French businesses in Nigeria had created more than 10,000 jobs in Nigeria and were supporting the local communities where they were based,
“French entrepreneurs are constantly setting foot in Nigeria to invest in a wide range of sectors, from energy to digital, from agriculture to environment.
“It is not always easy but their commitment bears fruits. And I encourage all French companies to present today to follow in their footsteps and get inspired by their example,” he said.
Macron assured that both French authorities and companies were committed to supporting the ambition of turning Nigeria into a strong industrial country, less dependent on oil and gas and imports.
He said the committee informed why the French Agency for Development had invested, over the last 10 years, in multiple sectors such as infrastructure, transports, energy, creative industries and sports.
“And this is also why the French Treasury has decided to allocate to your government a loan of more than €50million which will be the first for the Treasury since 1990 and the first-ever French loan in the healthcare sector in Nigeria,” he said
The president assured that the France-Nigeria Business Council would be a catalyst to cementing cooperation and investments.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
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RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.