By Linus Aleke, Abuja
Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire authorities, are taking practical, progressive and positive steps to end the export of primary products in West Africa, using cashew product, as a case study between the two partnering countries.
Director, Economy, Trade and Investment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bolaji Alade Akinremi, said, Nigeria must work on value addition with Cote d’Ivoire, in the production of products like cashew and Cocoa.
Amb. Akinremi, said this at the maiden edition of the Nigeria-Côte d’Ivoire Business Roundtable and Exhibition, with the theme “Synergy for Optimal Productivity”.
This is as he said that there is the urgent need for ECOWAS to harmonize all regulations for easy trade relationship between the subregion.
He said that Nigeria-Côte d’Ivoire Business Roundtable and Exhibition, is centered on exploring avenues for enhanced collaboration in diverse sectors.
The event, he said, also recognised the substantial benefits that a united effort between Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire could yield for West Africa’s economic landscape.
Amb. Akinremi, said, Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire must work together to achieve a synergy for maximum productivity.
According to him, “We are working with the Raw Materials, Research and Development Council and other agencies to ensure that value addition become the central matter for us. If not, we’ll just be at a very low pace where our products are taken for free. Nigeria is a blessed country, we have great potential. All we need to do is to develop the capacities of our people, of our industries and then move forward. Tomorrow, Nigeria would be the dream country and become an industrial nation”.
He further disclosed that though ECOWAS has been working on ETLS, it’s really not working.
“We must make it to work. The Africa Continental free Trade is here, yet our industries are not keyed into it. We need to get Manufacturer Association of Nigeria to be in tandem with MSMEs. We need to get the Ministry of Trade, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to work together in the area of investment. Economic diplomacy belong to Foreign Ministry, Trade belong to Minister of Industry, but all of them have to work together. So this is an attempt to make sure that we increase productivity”, he added.
In a keynote address, Dr. Aderemi Ajibewa, lauded the organizers and officials of the Federal Government, and Yusuf Tuggar, for orchestrating this pivotal meeting aimed at fostering strategic partnerships and collaborations between the private sectors of Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
Dr. Ajibewa emphasized the significance of this collaboration, highlighting the unparalleled potential that emerges when two nations with rich cultural heritage and entrepreneurial prowess unite for mutual prosperity.
He pointed out key areas such as trade facilitation through the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) and Common External Tariff (CET), agricultural advancements, educational exchanges, and infrastructural development as crucial sectors for bilateral cooperation.
He further acknowledged challenges inherent on the path to success, citing regulatory disparities, trade barriers, infrastructural deficiencies, and limited bilateral cooperations.
He expressed confidence in the transformative power of collaboration to surmount these hurdles and drive sustainable growth.
Dr. Ajibewa, called for inclusive growth and social responsibility, envisioning a future where the partnership between Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire serves as a global model for successful bilateral cooperation.
The inaugural Nigeria-Côte d’Ivoire Business Roundtable and Exhibition concluded on a promising note, laying the foundation for a future marked by enhanced collaboration, economic growth, and shared prosperity between the two nations.
