President Muhammadu Buhari has said the federal government will continue to support efforts to broaden the economy through multilateral financing.
The president spoke in Durban, South Africa, when Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) paid him a courtesy call ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2nd Intra-African Trade Fair Conference in the South African city on Monday.
“I appreciate the support you are giving Nigerian businesses and by implication, the Nigerian economy. Rest assured you can count on me as you seek a better trade and investment climate in Africa,” he said in a statement issued Monday by his media aide, Garba Shehu. The president of the bank, who came accompanied by the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, thanked President Buhari for honouring the invitation of the South African President to attend the Afreximbank-backed fair, joining other heads of state.
He restated that Nigeria remained an important market for the bank “with an exposure of 5.5 billion dollars and it was therefore imperative that we continue to engage Nigeria at the highest level.”
Prof. Oramah, who said Nigerian businesses got deals worth over $3.3bn during the first edition of the event in Cairo, Egypt, added that more are expected at this year’s fair.
Daily Trust newspaper