Nigerian president woos French investment on state visit

President Bola Tinubu has told French investors that his government is creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive, and the country’s security is now better.

TrackNews Media reports that Tinubu made this known on Thursday during a joint briefing with French President, Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.

Tinubu said Nigeria is open for business, stressing that the country’s skilled and educated youths are ready to be trained, which is one of the reasons French investors should look towards the West African nation.

According to the President, Nigeria is working on diversifying its economy away from fossil fuels and believes France can help play a vital role in that move.

He said, “We’ve been working on stabilizing the security system in Nigeria and we are getting closer and closer. We are doing better now in the area of security. I can assure all the investors that Nigeria is open for business.

“We assure you of a free market economy; easy in, easy out; no hindrance.

“We have a vibrant youth population that is well educated and ready to be trained, skilled development of our economy.

“This, I will emphasize, is why we need the French experts and investment to do more in this area to help develop our youth population.

“We have the potential to diversify our economy from fossil fuels.

“In Lagos, for example, we have tamed the Atlantic Ocean so far and we are still promoting marine and blue economy. The fishery is an important aspect of our economic potential”

President Tinubu also thanked the French government for providing stability for Nigerian businesses in the European country.

He added, “Thank you for creating a conducive environment for them to flourish and we are creating the same ground for investment in the Nigerian economy for the French nationality in the area of food security.”