The French Minister of Foreign Trade and Attractiveness, Franck Riester, had arrived in Nigeria to open the ‘Choose Africa’ conference, a €3.5 billion initiative by the France President, Emmanuel Macron, which is dedicated to supporting the development of start-ups and SMEs in Africa.
‘’The minister will have several official meetings in Abuja and Lagos to underline the importance of the bilateral economic relationship and to prepare the summit on the financing of African economies in Paris on May 18, 2021.’’
The objective of the minister’s mission, who will be in Nigeria between April 12 and 14, the statement said, was also to further strengthen the links between the French and Nigerian private sectors.
“In this regard, the minister will have in-depth discussions with the main Nigerian economic actors to strengthen bilateral cooperation and investments, both in Nigeria and in France, particularly in the logistics sector,’’ it added.
He is expected to also meet with young Nigerian entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative sector to discuss the major role of their country in African creativity and the development of the African entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the support of France.