Minister seeks more cooperation with Agence Francaise

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The Federal Government of Nigeria has canvassed increased bilateral cooperation with Agence Francaise de Development (AFD).

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, stated this during a courtesy visit by the AFD Mission Executive to Nigeria.

The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Nebeolisa Anako, in Abuja, expressed appreciation for AFD’s interventions in Nigeria over the past 15 years.

He sought for more collaborative efforts, particularly in sports development, energy, compressed natural gas (CNG), and the establishment of hydro-power plants.

Bagudu stressed the need for environmentally friendly energy solutions that could be developed through Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) arrangements.

According to him, “We want to improve our energy sector with environmentally friendly solutions, and we believe that cooperation with AFD can help us achieve this.”

Mr. Phillipe Orliange, the Executive Mission Lead for AFD, said Nigeria is growing importance within the international financing development community, expressing AFD’s readiness to enhance its involvement in the country.

He said the aim of the visit was to explore future investment opportunities to support Nigeria’s National Development Plans (NDP) and President Ahmed Tinubu’s eight-point agenda.

According to him, “AFD, as a Public Financing Institute, is committed to offering support in the implementation of Nigeria’s National Development Plans and realizing the current administration’s goals.”

During the meeting, Dr. Kenneth Kwujeli, Acting Director of Plans and Projects, presented an overview of the National Development Plan and its alignment with the administration’s renewed hope agenda.

The Agence Francaise de Development Group, a public financial institution dedicated to implementing the French Government’s development plans, will celebrate 15 years of sustainable impacts in Nigeria on June 27, 2024, in Abuja.