December 14, 2017

A Delegation of the Movement of French
Business (MEDEF), the first network of entrepreneurs in France, on
Wednesday said that Nigeria would continue to attract more French
companies.

The Head of the Delegation, Mr Phillip Labonne, said at a news
conference in Lagos that Nigeria would continue to be a land of
investment and opportunities for French companies.

The Vice-Chairman of the Africa Committee of MEDEF International also
said that the delegation was in Nigeria to assess the situation in the country and business opportunities in the country.

“Nigeria is and will continue to be a priority for our organisation. Let
me also say that Nigeria is a priority for other French companies.

“We are here again to know what is currently going on in Nigeria. We
have been to Nigeria five times now, because we see Nigeria as a
leading country in Africa.

“Our delegation is composed of a 30-participant business mission,
representing large, medium and small-sized companies interested in the
many opportunities offered by the Nigerian market,’’ he said.
The head of delegation said that the outcome of their visits to
the Lagos State Governor, Ministers of Finance and Budget and
Planning, and the Nigerian business community were positive.

Labonne said that companies on the delegation were from oil and
gas, health, transportation, aerospace, infrastructure, logistics,
banking and financial services, energy, security, agro-industry and
engineering sectors.

“We strongly think that working hand in hand with French companies can
be a source of constant and long-lasting improvement in the quality of
Nigerian economic growth.

“This, we can do by bringing to our local partners what makes us
different: local content, training, innovation and knowledge
transfer,’’ he said.

The Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Amb. Denys Gaver, also said that
the delegation was visiting Abuja and Lagos, to explore investment
possibilities and areas of partnership in Nigeria.

According to him, more French companies are ready to partner with
Nigeria in promoting her economy.

“Nigeria for us has been a strong strategic political partner. We are
also ready to partner with Nigeria in the economic sphere,’’ he
said.

Nigeria/France bilateral trade relations were at N750 billion (1.8 billion Euros) in the first quarter of 2017, thus making Nigeria France’s first commercial partner in sub-Saharan Africa.