2018 UK-Nigeria Trade and Investment Summit Promises Huge Opportunities to Investors
Peace Obi
To further strengthen the bilateral trade relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, the 2018 UK-Nigeria Trade and Investment Summit slated to hold in Central London on April 17 will feature top Nigerian Government delegation as distinguished guest speakers along with their counterparts from the British Government.
The one-day Summit which is being organised by the Developing Markets Associates (DMA) together with Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) will be declared open by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency Paul Arkwright and the Nigerian High Commissioner, His Excellency George Adesola Oguntade.
A delegation from Nigerian Government which includes Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, Minister of State for Petroleum, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, are among the invited distinguished speakers at the Summit.
According to a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of DMA, Atam Sandhu, Nigerian delegation will join forces with their counterparts from the British Government which includes the Lord Mayor of London and other notable British and European resource persons in the upcoming event.
According to Sandhu, the investment summit is aimed at increasing the business ties between the two countries. Adding that the summit will provide opportunity for Nigeria to showcase herself as the powerhouse of Africa.
He said, "Delegates to the Summit will have the opportunity to hear a political and economic overview of Nigeria before being given deeper spotlights on Trade Policy and Investment as well as plenary on Energy, Infrastructure and the Extractives.
"There will be opportunities at the Forum Plenary intervals for networking between the high-level delegation of business people from both Nigeria and the UK.
Stating that uncommon gain awaits participants and investors, the CEO said that they will have access to the the kind of funds other investors don’t have especially the UK’s Export Finance Facility."
He said, "Considering Nigeria's abundant human and material resources, this is the time for her to look inward and re-discover her trade and investment potentials and build on them.
"One way this can be achieved is by exploring the trade relations that exist between the United Kingdom and Nigeria at the upcoming UK-Nigeria Trade and Investment Summit. The general perception in Nigeria is that the Nigerian economy is the biggest in Africa yet Nigerians are reluctant at fully exploring the opportunities that offers to their maximum benefits. For instance, participants at the UK-Nigeria Trade and Investment Forum will learn of the British Government’s £750 million export finance fund budgeted by the UK Government for well established companies intending to invest in any area in Nigeria.