Nigeria lamented her poor trade with Egypt, one of the continent’s two economic giants, on Monday.
Malam Nura Rimi, Nigeria’s ambassador to the northern African nation, observed that despite the size of the two economies, the volume of trade between the two was little.
He gave a speech in Cairo at the inaugural Nigeria-Egypt Trade Conference and Exhibition (NETCE).
He characterised the level of economic activity as typically being lacklustre between the two nations.
With the wealth of natural resources and young, imaginative people, according to Rimi, there is no end to what could be accomplished via vigorous interaction between the two sides.
He urged Egyptian investors to make use of Nigeria’s favourable business climate and invest in the continent of Africa’s largest economy.
“Any investor looking for a place to invest, build, thrive, innovate and succeed has a no better place on earth to go than Nigeria,’’ he stressed.
“It is heart-warming to note that under a Public Private Partnership arrangement, Nigeria recently opened the First Export Trade House in Egypt.
“It is to serve as a central location for made-in-Nigeria products to be shipped, displayed and distributed to the rest of the world,’’ he stated.
In order to strengthen economic links, improve the flow of capital, and increase wealth for the people of both nations, the envoy urged conference attendees to look into new business and trading prospects.
Rimi added that there were good relations between Egypt and Nigeria and that there was a close collaboration in the fields of security, defence, and education.
“The two countries also collaborate in regional and global affairs in the quest to promote international peace and security,’’ he said.
