Ministers to champion Nigerian trade, investment in Canada

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo and his Science and Technology counterpart, Dr Adeleke Mamora, are to play key roles at the Nigeria-Canada Trade and Investment Business Forum in Ottawa, Canada, in January 2023.

The Communication Director of Affinity Global Trade and Investment Ltd., Mrs Anum Ilyas, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos.

Ilyas said the Trade and Investment Business Forum (NCTIBF)

slated for Jan. 9 to 12, 2023 in Ottawa, Canada, would see the ministers give key speeches and champion the course of Nigerian trade and investment.

She said the event was being organised by the Canadian Council on Africa in partnership with Affinity Global Trade and Investment Ltd., and in collaboration and support of the Nigeria High Commission, Ottawa.

Ilyas said participating organisations with confirmed delegates were the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Raw Materials Research Council, Nigeria Export, and the Export Processing Zones Authority – NEPZA.

She said private sector confirmed delegates included Global Trade Expert, Geetyme Oil & Gas Integrated Services and Areef Hydro Services Ltd.

Captains of industries specially invited to join the forum delegation are the Dangote Group, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, and Quits Aviation Free Zone Company Plc.

She said the forum was intended to contribute to the acceleration of economic and commercial relations between Nigeria and Canada through curated transactions and marketplace interactions for businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organisations.

According to her, the event will bring together a formidable Nigerian delegation with leading Canadian leaders, from both the public and private sectors, for building strong networks and symbiotic knowledge sharing relationships.

“The forum, in a class of its own, will focus on changing the trajectory of intergovernmental and business-to-business relations between Canada and Nigeria towards stronger engagement and ties.

“Specifically, the event would focus on engagements and panel discussions centered around three key pillars/sectors: manufacturing, science & technology, and oil & gas.

“The forum is expected to welcome over 100 delegates from Nigeria and Canada, including government and private sector officials from both countries as well as investors, development partners, and trade support institutions,” Ilyas said.

She said the objectives of the forum included deepening economic ties between Nigeria and Canada and establishment of a Nigeria-Canada manufacturing alliance to provide strategic guidance and leadership for trade and bilateral cooperation.

Others are: facilitating the engagement of senior Nigerian government officials and industry leaders with their Canadian counterparts to accelerate progress on the Nigeria-Canada Foreign Investment Protection Agreement Bilateral relations.