UNGA 78: Tinubu Commits To Promoting Ease Of Trade For SMEs In Africa

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has restated his administration’s commitment to promoting ease of trade for Small and Medium Enterprises, (SMEs) across Africa.

Tinubu stated this during the Africa International Trade Exhibition (AITE) 2023’s Business, Trade, and Investment Summit on the sideline of the 78th edition of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, USA.

The summit was organised by Tunde MacAlabi, who is the CEO of T-BYK Ventures; Prof. Tai Balofin, President of Nigerian Progressive Professionals, and Khuraira Musa, CEO of K-Pro Consulting of New York.

Represented by Nigeria’s minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, President Tinubu assured investors that the Federal Government would take the necessary steps to ensure the ease of trade in the country.

In his remarks, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, urged both foreign and local investors to take advantage of Nigeria’s huge population, traffic, and thriving aviation market, to invest in the sector.

Keyamo pointed out that world-class Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities would be a good area for investors to consider first.

According to him, there were not many MRO facilities in West Africa, a situation that makes domestic airline operators ferry their aircraft, only to queue overseas for two months or more for their aircraft maintenance.

Speaking earlier, Ms Musa, who is the author of ‘The Audacity of an African Girl’ and President of the Arewa Development Support Initiative (ADSI), said the purpose of the event was to woo investors to invest in Nigeria.

“We want to have industries in Nigeria to process and manufacture our raw materials in the country to give job opportunities to our youths and women.

“To continue allowing our raw materials to be exported and paid next to nothing for it will continue to keep our people in poverty. We want Nigeria to change the way they have been doing business.

“We are confident that the outcomes of this gathering will have a lasting impact on the economic landscape, not only in Nigeria but also across the globe,” she added.

Those in attendance at the summit include the Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmud; Senator representing FCT, Ireti Kingibe; First Lady of Osun State, Titiola Adeleke; Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Adeyinka Asekun; Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Executive Chairperson of NiDCOM, and Dr Remi Duyile, CEO of Image Consulting Group Inc.

Others were Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Alex Okoh; National President of the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dele Kelvin Oye; Director General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Capt Musa Nuhu; Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, Tayib Adetunji Odunowo; ANA chairman, Sen. Ahmed MoAllahyidi; philanthropist and investor, Dr. Gregory Oputa, and publisher of THEWILL Newspaper and President of OPAN, Austyn Ogannah.