There’s more to Nigeria than oil, Buhari tells French investors

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged French investors to take advantage of Nigeria’s diverse resources and invest in the country.

The president, who made the appeal while speaking to a gathering of investors at the Nigeria-France presidential business forum in Paris on Tuesday, said: “Nigeria has what it takes to make a breakthrough, and there is more to Nigeria than oil. It is a blessed land rich in agricultural and mineral resources coupled with skilled and low-cost labour, large market, robust and competitive private sector.

“Nigeria is now at a new dawn to chart and re-position its destiny for greatness. We are resolved and firmly determined to consolidate on industrialising Nigeria and diversifying its economy into sectors such as agro-processing, mining, manufacturing, petro-chemicals, food processing and textiles‎.

“It is a positive development that today, Nigeria is the largest trading partner with France in Africa. But opportunities abound to greatly increase the current $5 billion annual trade volume, and I fully agreed with President Hollande when he declared in February 2014 in Abuja that trade volume between both countries should double in four years. Today, many French companies are happy to have flourishing businesses in Nigeria; opportunities abound to greatly increase the $5 billion annual trade volume between the two countries.”

Buhari, who is on a three-day visit to France, had held talks with President Francois Hollande, who promised to provide Nigeria with intelligence to crush Boko Haram.

The president is expected back in the country on Wednesday.