President Bola Tinubu asserts that bilateral partnerships should be mutually advantageous, transformative, and yield tangible benefits for the common citizens.
President Bola Tinubu emphasized the importance of mutually beneficial and transformative bilateral partnerships at the Nigeria-Netherlands Business and Investment Forum held in The Hague, Amsterdam, on Thursday.
He highlighted that Nigeria and the Netherlands should deepen their cooperation by exploring innovative forms of collaboration, including partnerships, joint ventures, and strategic alliances. Tinubu noted that such collaborations would help build bridges connecting markets and facilitating the flow of goods, services, ideas, and people.
The president mentioned that his administration is actively working to enhance the business environment in Nigeria through various reforms aimed at making it more investor-friendly. These reforms include making the foreign exchange market more transparent, removing the fuel subsidy, and ensuring that the Central Bank of Nigeria provides the necessary mechanisms for foreign companies to repatriate their profits.
Tinubu described the improved business climate as transforming Nigeria into an investors’ paradise and urged investors to seize these opportunities for mutually beneficial economic partnerships.
“I wish to state here that we must also ensure that the partnerships are creative and transformative in such a manner that the ordinary citizens of our countries can reap verifiable gains.
“It is on record that Nigeria and the Netherlands have established business ties for decades. There is every need to re-invigorate this relationship. This is a call for creativity on the part of all of us,” the president said.
Noting the long history of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Netherlands, the President called for the forging of stronger bonds in diplomacy, commerce, innovation, and enterprise.
“Our countries possess unique strengths and resources. It is through collaboration that we can harness these strengths, unlock new opportunities, and drive economic development.
“We must endeavour to replicate the success stories of various Dutch companies and enterprises by learning and sharing their experiences and approaches for the benefit of all.
“As the world braces up for today’s economic challenges, which in many ways affect our two countries, a creative approach to the search for investment-minded solutions will prove to be the most viable path to the level of sustainable development that we all desire.
“I believe that we must endeavour to push this narrative into our daily business activities and to move towards industrial value addition, agribusiness, innovative technology, green energy, marine economic expansion, as well as solid mineral exploitation and processing,” he said.