President Bola Tinubu is set to depart for Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, this week to attend the Saudi-Africa and Arab-African summits. During these summits, he will engage the Arab world in his efforts to attract businesses and additional foreign direct investments for Nigeria.
Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, disclosed this on Sunday, stating that both events are scheduled to be held on the 10th and 11th of November 2023, respectively.
While in the Middle Eastern country, President Tinubu will discuss several issues of mutual concern, focusing on economic ties between the regions, counter-terrorism, the environment, and agriculture.
According to the presidential spokesman, other topics for discussion will revolve around accelerating trade and investment between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the African continent.
He stated, “President Tinubu is very keen on ensuring that the Federal Republic of Nigeria, within the context of the continent, can maximize opportunities presented by the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, creating a single trade market for over 1 billion Africans.”
“The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa projects that by 2050, the African market will surpass $29 trillion,” he added.
Ngelale emphasized that Tinubu will play an active role during the trip. At the Arab-African summit on November 11, he will, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of Government of ECOWAS, participate in the summit to advocate for a deeper partnership between the League of Arab Nations and the African Union.
The areas of cooperation the President will seek include infrastructure, the facilitation of a new high-speed train network to connect Arab nations, the Middle East, and Northern Africa with the rest of the African continent, the media aide added.
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