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By Kingsley Alu , Abuja
Deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed said Nigeria’s economy has shown resilience and is on the path of growth though its pace is slow.
She said this during a meeting at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment in Abuja.
While noting the country’s challenges were huge, Mohammed said despite its huge population, with the right matrix, the economy is witnessing positive changes.
“This is a country that is diverse in nature, ethnicity, religious backgrounds and opportunities. But these are its strengths, not weaknesses. I think the narrative for Nigeria has to change to one that is very much the reality,” she said.
Speaking on her trips across parts of Nigeria, she said, “What I saw along the way is really a country that is growing, that is moving in the right direction economically. Is it fast enough? No. Is it in the right direction? Yes it is.
“And the challenges still remain with security, our social cohesion and social contract between government and the people. But I know that people are working on these issues,” she added.
Mohammed, who said the common global agenda was the Sustainable Development Goals, added that the UN had taken note of the reforms in the country and Africa in general.
She also commended Nigeria’s efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, and expressed confidence that the arrival of vaccines would be the beginning of the end of COVID-19.
On his part, the minister of industry, trade and investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, told the deputy UN scribe that the federal government was intensifying efforts to diversify the economy and position the nation as an entrepreneurial hub in Africa.
The minister also disclosed that before the end of the first quarter of 2021, government would come up with a document on its investment policies.
