TheCable

Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, says Nigeria’s economy is moving in the right direction but at a slow pace.

Speaking on Thursday during a meeting at the ministry of industry, trade and investment in Abuja, Mohammed described the economy as one with many opportunities regardless of its challenges.

“This is a country that is diverse in nature, ethnicity, religious backgrounds and opportunities. But these are its strengths, not weaknesses,” she said.

“And I think the narrative for Nigeria has to change to one that is very much the reality.”

Mohammed noted that after travelling by train and through various roads in the northern parts of the country, she discovered that the roads were motorable, although there were ongoing repairs on some of them.

“What I saw along the way is really a country that is growing, that is moving in the right direction both economically. Is it fast enough? No. Is it in the right direction? Yes it is, ” she said.

“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.”

Commending Nigeria’s quick response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she expressed hope that the arrival of vaccines would be the beginning of the end of the deadly virus.

She also said the UN recognised the reforms in Nigeria and other nations, adding that the common global agenda is the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Recently, Mohammed became the first living Nigerian woman to have a railway station named after her. 

In his remarks, Adeniyi Adebayo, minister of industry, trade and investment, said the federal government is intensifying efforts to make Nigeria the entrepreneurial hub of Africa.

He added that a document on the government’s investment policies will be made available before the end of the first quarter of 2021.