By New Citizen
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Lisbon called for an increase in the volume of trade with Portugal as well as diversification to non-oil products.
Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) disclosed this in a statement.
According to Shehu, the president spoke at an Economic Seminar between Nigeria and Portugal businesses during a State Visit to Portugal.
He noted that the two countries are in dire need of new investment opportunities following the devastation on global economies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and, in recent times, the impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict.
‘‘The relationship between modern Nigeria and Portugal started over 40 years ago with strong collaborations on the diplomatic and defence fronts.
‘‘I was very excited to learn of the increased level of enthusiasm Portuguese businesses have shown towards Nigeria.
‘‘In the past 25 years, trade between Nigeria and Portugal has more than doubled to over $1 billion by 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘‘This has been mostly in the oil and gas sector. Although this is great progress, I strongly believe we can and should do a lot more,’’ he said.
Assuring the Portuguese government of Nigeria’s support to Portuguese companies wishing to invest in the country, the president said:
‘‘The Portuguese were the first European voyagers on record to visit the shores of Nigeria in the late fifteenth century. And just like how African culture is influential in modern Portugal, the Portuguese culture is also felt in today’s Nigeria.’’
He announced that recently, the government of Nigeria awarded a contract to Mota-Engil, a Portuguese company, to construct a railway line that connects Kano in Northern Nigeria to Maradi in Southern Niger Republic.
He added this partnership will surely open doors for more Portuguese companies to come to Nigeria, as the largest and most populous economy in Africa.
‘‘Just two months ago, Portugal opened its first North Africa Trade Chamber. This will complement the Chamber in South Africa.
‘‘I am confident after your interactions today on the tremendous potential in Nigeria, we will soon be hearing an announcement on the opening of the Nigeria Portugal Trade Chamber.’’
Recounting that in 2021, the African Export-Import Bank and Portugal’s National Association of Young Entrepreneurs announced a 3-year partnership to promote Africa’s fashion apparel and textile manufacturing industry, the Nigerian leader said:
‘‘I strongly believe this will benefit Nigeria’s vibrant fashion industry.’’
Buhari also used the occasion to apprise prospective investors of the many fiscal, trade and monetary incentives that support foreign investments.
‘‘The Nigerian government officials in this room are on standby to provide all the necessary information you need.
‘‘I have already directed the establishment of a dedicated Portugal working group headed by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to address any special concerns you may have above and beyond the existing policies in place.
‘‘I want to assure you that we will take these requests seriously and our response will be swift.’’
On his expectations for the forum, the President expressed confidence that it was an appropriate platform to establish and strengthen business relationships, share valuable experience, and collaborate for both countries’ mutual benefit.
‘‘Nigeria and Portugal share long historical ties. The relationship between our two countries brought with it trade partnerships, an area that we wish to build upon today,’’ he said.
Buhari thanked President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal, who was present at the Seminar, for his contribution, interest and trust in forging formidable economic cooperation between Nigeria and Portugal.
‘‘As I mentioned earlier our two countries have a long, shared history and we now have the power to ensure the next 500 years is built on mutual prosperity, sustainability and greatness,’’ he said.
In his response, the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told President Buhari that Portugal can help Nigeria diversify the economy.
“Because we are a very small country, we have huge experience. We have experience in water supply, technology, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, tourism, agriculture, science, health care, trade, the sea and we want to cooperate with you. We have experienced companies, experienced hands. We have a unique knowledge of Africa,” he said.
On the visit, the Portuguese President said, “Your visit is a new beginning, A new beginning of every sector. We don’t want 30 or 100 companies, we want thousands of companies in Nigeria, we want thousands of Portuguese in Nigeria and that will be your legacy, my legacy, the legacy of this state visit. I’ll be going to Nigeria later on and together we shall see with our own eyes what the outcome of this visit is. This is not a visit of words but a visit of facts and achievements. We will achieve.”
Meanwhile, President Buhari on Friday met with Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon and City Council members, expressing heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to them for accommodating Nigerians as well as those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
According to a statement signed by Garba Shehu, the president also used the occasion to congratulate him and his party on their electoral victory and his emergence as the Mayor of Lisbon.
The Nigerian leader thanked Carlos Moedas, for graciously receiving the Nigerian delegation in the ‘beautiful and historic coastal city of Lisbon,’ commending the excellent manner the city is administered, as a prime global tourist destination.
‘‘The city of Lisbon shares a number of similarities with some Nigerian cities such as Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria, whose name was given by the Portuguese explorer Rui de Sequeira, who visited in 1472, naming the area around the city, Lago de Curamo, which means Lake of Curamo.
‘‘Both cities are rich in history and are also commercial nerve centres that host multinational corporations, industries, and major seaports. We are optimistic that these shared features can be harnessed to promote increased trade and people-to-people contact for the benefit of our two countries.
‘‘Nigeria, like Portugal, has many unique, historic, and cultural assets, as well as a developing hospitality industry, which both countries can exploit to promote tourism.
‘‘We are also keen to establish a direct air link between our two countries to further stimulate tourism, people-to-people contact and social, sporting and cultural relations,’’ he said.
Buhari highlighted that Nigeria has made great strides in diversifying its economy beyond oil and gas, recording successes in agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructural development, among others.
He, therefore, invited prospective investors to Nigeria as the next top investment destination, saying ‘‘we are ready to extend our bilateral trade beyond oil and gas.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, extolled Nigeria’s greatness, especially in her ability to turn diversity into greatness: “We have one thing in common. We believe diversity is key. Nigeria is a great nation. Former President Obama said that about you, that you strive to overcome division and turn Nigeria’s diversity into a source of strength, so you are able to build the largest economy in Africa. I so much agree with that.”
“Diversity is a matter of innovation and that’s why we both have excellent innovation ecosystems. You have just opened one of the biggest Urea plants, I think the second in the world and the largest fertilizer centre in Africa making your country self-sufficient.”
“You have produced five out of the seven unicorns, the big companies in Africa. You have one of the biggest projects on biometrics identification that has helped the banking system with relevant contributions for some Portuguese companies. So we want to work with you and your innovators. We need you. We need the African continent. We need to work with you peer to peer.”
He informed the Nigerian leader of his plan for Portugal to launch a “Unicorn Factory” in Lisbon and his desire to “have those African, Nigerian unicorns with us. Young people that could work with Portuguese people. That will be very important for Lisbon.”
The Mayor, while presenting the keys of the City of Lisbon to President Buhari, emphasized the cultural, historical, political and diplomatic ties between Lisbon and Abuja, describing the keys as “a token of respect and appreciation.”
