Connect with us

National News

AfCTA is a Game Changer- Onyeama

Published

on

AfCTA is a Game Changer- Onyeama

AfCTA is a Game Changer- Onyeama

By: Michael Mike

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama has said that the  African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would be ia “game changer” as it is going to be the largest free trade area in the world and make doing business much easier for countries with seamless access to 54 markets which is a huge advantage. 

The Minister who attended the 7th Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi India, where he took part in two panel discussions with the themes “Out of Africa: Leading on Trade and Economic Integration”, and “Building the Gates of Globalisation: Investment; Infrastructure and Taboos”, called for stronger ties between Nigeria and India.

He spoke about also took time out to speak on the various partnerships for infrastructure development, such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and other initiatives with India, the European Union, and other African countries all of which  contribute enormously towards development.

He said:  “Why I say AfCTA is going to be a game changer is because it will make it easier for our political leaders and Africans 

to reach out to other African countries so what will come as a result or consequences  will be infrastructure- the trans saharan highway and continental highway across Africa promoting connectivity and doing business. That will be the natural result of pulling down all the barriers that are preventing this connectivity within the continent.”

Speaking on the role of Africa in the upcoming world in terms of trade,  cooperation and partnerships especially with Africa’s Asian partners and India as a special partner, he said bearing in mind the fact that  Africa has always been pioneering in connecting the world since ancient times with the trade routes going through Africa along the spice trade routes or the Suez  canal, with the new digital age, Africa is playing a role with it’s youth full of potential and looking for partnerships with a dynamic and prosperous Asia.

Onyeama who In this context and from the  Nigerian perspective…a perspective of a country already sharing close ties with India, he shared his thoughts on how India and Africa can work together to foster further connectivity and commerce.

He noted that Nigeria and India have had a long history of very close cooperation and people to people relations with generations of Indian families living in Nigeria, Nigerian students in India and in the military establishments. 

Also Read: Pope Francis uses wheelchair to protect his knee

He said: “We know ourselves very well and of course now in a globalised world there is a lot more we can do. India has a comparative advantage in the health sector- we saw the role India played in the COVID-19 outbreak. India has a very strong pharmaceutical sector so the health field is an area we can do a lot with India. And we have seen the ICT miracle that is in Bangalore. Also, the technology capacity of India is another area that we can cooperate in. Nigeria has a very youthful population that is also getting into ICT and extremely dynamic and the partnership with India could absolutely be a game changer for us.”

Speaking further, Onyeama said  “India is the second-largest producer of steel in the world. We want to industrialise. We have had challenges with developing our steel industry in Nigeria so that’s another area we can do alot with India. We have a framework already although it’s  a continental framework of India-Africa Summit and clearly we are looking at developing a more precise roadmap that responds to the priorities and needs of our country. 

“We can also look at other areas such as the  culture industries. You have Bollywood and we have Nollywood so there is a great deal we can do together.”  

He also explained that though the two countries have very similar demography in many ways, “the population of India is way bigger, but in Africa Nigeria is the largest country and so I think that the ingredients for substantive partnerships is very much there.”

Speaking on the Post COVID-19 and in the context of speaking of Africas entry into the global value chain, Onyeama said/ “We want to diversify not just our production but also our partners. Where value chains are concerned its always been targeted towards the western countries but clearly Asia is a lot more prominent in our engagement and notwithstanding the global challenges of today we are moving more and more increasing our partnership with Asia and of course India is a big part of that as is China and one or two other countries. So notwithstanding whatever else is happening globally we intend to prioritise and push on.”

On the sidelines of the seventh Raisina Dialogue which had more than 200 speakers from 90 countries in attendance, Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey  Onyeama met separately with his host  External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S Jaishankar, and  collagues from Slovenia and Philippines to discuss bilateral relations  between Nigeria and the  different countries.

While in India, Onyeama visited one of India’s largest steel and power plants, addressed and inaugurated the Nigeria-India Business Council with an impressive attendance by Indian captains of Industry and interacted with 30 invited African Ambassadors  and members of the Nigerian Community including students.

AfCTA is a Game Changer- Onyeama

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

National News

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

Published

on

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

By: Michael Mike

Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.

The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.

In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.

“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.

“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.

The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.

Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.

Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

Continue Reading

National News

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

Published

on

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

By: Michael Mike

The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.

A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.

“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”

According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.

The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.

Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

Continue Reading

National News

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

Published

on

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People


…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp

By: Michael Mike

Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.

Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.

“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.

“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”

Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.

“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”

She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

Continue Reading

Trending

Verified by MonsterInsights