President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in Abuja yesterday following his participation in the Dubai EXPO 2020 in the United Arab Emirates.
On Friday and Saturday of his visit to Dubai, the president attended Nigeria Day and a trade and investment forum at Dubai Expo 2020, respectively.
At the events, Buhari emphasized the need for international leaders working together and strengthening partnerships to minimize the disastrous repercussions of the worldwide spike of COVID-19 cases.
The Nigerian leader also reassured business leaders and entrepreneurs who had expressed a desire in expanding trade and investment ties with Nigeria.
He said that his administration would continue to work with them to improve the business climate, especially as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) comes into full effect.
According to him, Nigeria remains the most viable and attractive investment destination in Africa, adding that the country is on the path of becoming the continent’s leading industrial and trading nation.
‘‘Our location, our natural resources, our population, and our regulations are there for all to see. Nigeria is on its way to becoming a leading industrial and trading nation in Africa.
‘‘To achieve this, our government focused on policies, projects, and programs that support private sector investors.
‘‘We introduced numerous fiscal incentives and infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing the viability of investments.
‘‘Despite the adverse global economic environment of recent years, Nigeria’s investment environment has greatly improved both at the national and sub-national levels,’’ he said.
The president’s visit to the UAE coincided with the news that passenger flights between Dubai and Nigeria will resume on December 5.
Following the UAE’s decision to remove Nigeria from the list of nations where travelers must take a Rapid PCR test four hours before boarding their flight to Dubai, Abuja and Lagos will have daily flights starting Dec. 5.
In response to this development, Nigeria had equally lifted the ban placed on Emirate airlines from flying into Nigeria for abiding by the country’s COVID-19 protocol.
Ada Peter
