Buhari goes to London Summit on Friday

Fri, Jan 17, 2020

By publisher

2 MIN READ

NIGERIAN President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to London on Friday, January 17, to participate in the inaugural UK-Africa Investment Summit holding on Monday, January 20. He will return to Nigeria on Thursday next week.

The summit will be hosted by Boris Johnson, British prime minister.

The event is expected to bring together African leaders, international business chief executives and heads of international organisations “to create new partnerships that will deliver more investments and jobs” to the benefit of people and businesses in African countries and the United Kingdom, the organisers said.

Accompanied by Governors Yahaya Bello, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya and Okezie Ikpeazu of Kogi, Gombe and Abia States, respectively, Buhari is expected to meet with Prince Charles, head of the Commonwealth, in Glasgow, Scotland. He will also have bilateral meetings with Johnson as well as heads of multilateral organisations.

Others in the presidential delegation Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs; Niyi Adebayo, minister of industry, trade and investment, Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd), national security adviser, NSA; and Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubaka, director general, National Intelligence Agency, NIA.

The summit will feature presentations on new perspectives on UK-Africa partnership for prosperity, issues of sustainable finance and infrastructure; trade and investment; future African growth sectors and clean energy and climate.

It is expected to deepen Nigeria-United Kingdom investment ties post-Brexit given that Africa currently represents just two per cent of British trade activity, with Nigeria accounting for only 10 per cent of that total.

Nigeria will seize the opportunity to project herself as a leading investment destination for new industries especially as the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, takes off July.

– Jan. 17, 2020 @ 12: 19 GMT |