President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria’s participation at Expo Dubai 2020 is aimed at exploring opportunities that are capable of unlocking the huge potential that abound in the country as it makes conscious efforts to be a strategic partner of choice for the global community.
The president stated this yesterday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at Nigeria Day at the fair.
The president said his administration had made significant progress within a short period of time and was still making headway in key sectors of the economy.
He described the Dubai fair as the single most important global event of its kind to take place in the Middle East, Africa and the South East Asian regions in recent years.
“We are proud to be a part of this dynamic evolution of pragmatic partnerships that are both creative and innovative for the progress of the country.
“Therefore, the Nigerian delegation is participating in this EXPO with great prospects for positive outcomes, while assuring the world of our determination and readiness to partner with relevant investors in our bid to tackle a number of challenges to make Nigeria a better country.
“It is my pleasure, therefore, to invite all participating countries, organisations and other private sector operators to take full advantage of opportunities being provided by the EXPO 2020, by linking up with the Nigerian team, to collaborate with us in diverse areas of interests for our mutual benefits,” he added.
With the global surge in cases of COVID-19, the president said the theme of the global event, ‘Connecting minds, creating the future’, has placed a moral burden on all relevant stakeholders, across national boundaries, to urgently work together for a better and brighter future.
“The concerted efforts by world leaders, working together, enabled us to limit the catastrophic consequences of this pandemic.
“Such levels of continuing understanding and pragmatic partnerships are needed and must be reinforced to ensure that our world is a better place that addresses humanity’s common challenges to guarantee sustainable development and progress for the global community,” he said.
The president also stated that Nigeria, like other countries in the world, was impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic, compounding national efforts in addressing insecurity, fighting corruption and diversifying the nation’s economy.
He thanked the president of UAE, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for inviting him to the Expo and especially to attend Nigeria Day at the event, which, according to him, offers a great opportunity to show-case the potential of Africa’s largest economy.
