28/2/2016
NIGERIA seeks Qatari investment in various sectors, especially in infrastructure and telecommunication, spokesman of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Emi Aldeshina said today.
Speaking to the media following a meeting between Qatar Chamber officials and the Nigerian delegation, Aldeshina said:”It was a good meeting and we are looking forward to see a fruitful cooperation in all business areas with Qatar in future.”
The meeting was attended by President Buhari, Qatar Chamber Vice-Chairman Mohammed bin Ahmed al Towar and key Nigerian players from various sectors, including oil, gas, power, telecom, tourism and hospitality.
Aldeshina said,”Nigeria is looking for more investment in infrastructure. The president has directed us to get more information on our needs and figure out how Qatari investors can help us in tackling our infrastructural shortcomings.”
Terming the agreement on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion the first step, he said,”This will pave way for further business engagement between the two countries. We will sign another agreement on economic partnership and investment promotion.”
On the steps Nigeria needs to take to ensure investment climate is safe, he said,”At the macro level, we believe security is important. Therefore, the Nigerian government and president accord top priority to this. We are also fighting corruption.”
He added,”We are keen on creating the right environment for industrial and trade investments. We will launch an initiative to improve the environment for better business performance and success.”
The Qatar Chamber Vice-Chairman said the Nigerian delegation had made a presentation on the opportunities available for Qatari investors and that Qatar welcomed the invitation.
“Nigeria is one of the biggest African countries endowed with a lot of natural resources and offering many investing opportunities. Qatar National Bank and some Qatari companies have a good experience of working in Nigeria and this will be a good base to develop our business relations further with Nigeria”, Tawar said.
According to Towar, the volume of trade between Qatar and Nigeria is small compared with the number of opportunities available for investment between both countries.
Towar said many Qatari companies, including Ooredoo, are looking at investing in Nigeria.
