President Bola Ahmed Tinubu applauded Dr. Adewunmi Adesina, head of the multilateral organization, for further opening up the economy to investments that create job opportunities and lessen poverty, and he welcomed the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) investment of $520 million in specialized agro-processing zones.
After the two-day meeting in Paris on a new global finance agreement, Tinubu welcomed Adesina and noted that the agro-industrial project enhances one aspect of the nation’s competitive edge while also outlining other high-priority areas that need for foreign direct investment (FDI).
As a result, the President asked the bank to sponsor initiatives that aim to empower women and young people, while also praising the AfDB President for his vision of establishing a Youth Entrepreneurship Bank in Nigeria that will provide young Nigerians loans, training, and other forms of support.
Assuring Adesina that the Federal Government would offer all necessary support to ensure the projects’ continuation, Tinubu added that energy remained a priority issue in need of immediate attention.
In his remarks, the president of the AfDB congratulated Tinubu for the audacious moves that have repositioned the Nigerian economy within three weeks and piqued the interest of international investors.
I applaud the president’s intelligence, audacity, and resolve in pushing macroeconomic policy in the right direction by eliminating the gasoline subsidy.
No bird with its wings fastened behind can fly. Investors enjoy all those signs, he claimed.
According to Adesina, the bank would assist the economic goals of Nigeria’s new government that prioritize the welfare of the populace.
At a different gathering, Tinubu met with officials from Airbus/ATR and assured them that the aviation industry will be simplified for efficiency, particularly in terms of training and aircraft maintenance.
Laurent Rahul Domergue, senior vice president of public affairs at Airbus/ATR, gave the president the reassurance that the firm was ready to engage in the aviation industry, notably in providing aircraft to Nigeria.
Tinubu has since traveled to London, United Kingdom, on a brief private visit. He was originally expected to return to Abuja yesterday.
To coincide with the impending Eid-el-Kabir celebration, the president will return to the nation.