Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has met with a high-powered delegation from France for strategic discussion on bilateral cooperation, focusing discussion on robust partnership between the state and French government in the areas of security, transportation and infrastructure.
The visitors, led by Senator Bernard Fournier, are members of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces Committee in the French Senate. They are in Nigeria on a three-day working visit.
The parliamentarians’ visit to the Governor came weeks after the representatives of Agence Française de Développement (AFD) visited Lagos to strengthen the existing bilateral ties between the two sides.
There are over 100 French companies based in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu told the French parliamentarians that bilateral agreements with the state government had recorded progress, disclosing that Lagos was open to more investment in provision of infrastructure in the transportation sector and gaming industry.
He said: “We are happy with the kind of relationship we currently have with the French business community. We have been making a giant leap forward in our relationship and we are ready to do a lot more, especially in the transportation sector where we currently have partnership with French firms. There is also an existing French loan which we have changed the scope of the transaction but we are on track on the deliverables tied to the funding.
“Lagos also recently sealed a MoU with the French government on e-sport. I am delighted to share progress in this regard; we have some representatives of the State Government currently in Paris to further open more opportunities in the gaming sector as outlined in the agreement. The new Lekki Deep Seaport, which we will be commissioning next month, will be managed by a French company called CMA CGM Group.”
Sanwo-Olu assured the visiting parliamentarians that Nigeria remained safe for businesses and investments despite the security concerns in some parts of the country. He said Defence collaboration between France and the Nigerian Navy had improved security on the waterways, while also raising the capability of Nigeria security personnel to protect valuable maritime assets.
The contemporary security challenges bedeviling the nation, the Governor said, were not insurmountable, noting that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration had boosted the morale of the military with the provision of modern weapons and training to tackle the situation.
“Nigeria is a big, complex country with challenges like every other country on the planet. But, we will surely come out of the current tensions in due course,” the governor said.
